Blood Lust
by Demon Vampyre Goddess
Summary: *Complete* One was born a vampire. The other was turned against his will. They hated each other, yet this hatred won't match the utmost loathing they'll reach when a certain braided slayer comes between them. But who will the slayer choose? (2x5, 3x4)
1. Default Chapter

Hai!! Well I -did- say I'd be back with a new story, and here you go!! ^^ I just couldn't help myself this go 'round, I've now done 5x2 and 1x2x1, so I thought I'd do a mix of both! No, there isn't any threesome flings, just two sexy bishounen fighting over another certain braided bishie.  
  
^^ Of course!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Gundam Wing except for this fic and other stories I've written. Damn.  
  
Warning!!: AU, slight OOCness, impending violence, killing, angst (obviously), language, adult situations, shounen-ai (3x4, 5x2, 1x2...*ahem* yeah...), if you don't like guy/guy relationships then don't read because this story will be chock full of delicious shounen-ai.  
  
Have fun reading kiddies!  
  
  
  
Blood Lust  
  
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***  
  
The flickering pink neon sign blinked 'The Oasis' to the people jostling past on the busy sidewalk, some breaking away and entering the well-known, seedy gentleman's club, others just ignoring it.  
  
Two such people that broke from the teeming walkways looked to be naught but young men, barely old enough to go into a place like the 'Oasis'. Though both were Asian, there couldn't have been more difference in anyone else than what there was between them.  
  
The Chinese one wore an expression of utter repulsion on his golden complexioned face; his almond shaped onyx eyes narrowed. His inky black shoulder length hair was pulled back into an immaculate ponytail, the neon sign putting pink highlights in it every time it flashed. His figure was obscured by a black trenchcoat, but crisp white fighting-style pants peeked out from underneath as he folded his arms across his chest resolutely.  
  
"This is wrong, Yuy. It's not right to take advantage of the women here just because of their profession," he opposed stiffly.  
  
"Fine. You don't have to come." The other growled, glaring. He was a bit taller than his Chinese partner and had unruly dark brown hair that hung into his cobalt blue eyes. Heero wasn't trying so hard to cover himself up either, wearing jeans and a forest green tank top under an unzipped leather jacket.  
  
"Unlike you, Wufei, I don't plan on starving myself to death in retaliation." Heero went inside without another word.  
  
"Easy for you to say," Wufei muttered, slipping around back to wait by the exit. "You weren't forced into this eternal damnation against your will." He glowered up at the hazy stars, once again finding himself wondering what he had ever done to offend the gods so much so that they brought this torture onto him.  
  
Unlike Heero, who had been born a vampire, Wufei had been attacked in an unfortunate run-in with one two years ago. The only reason he kept on going now was so he could find the vampire that had turned him and destroy it. For justice. Some might call it revenge. It didn't matter. Wufei tried to abstain for as long as he could, but if he couldn't control the hunger, he would at least have the dignity to give the person a choice. Something he didn't get. And it wouldn't be some unsuspecting cheap whore either. Heero had no pride and was nothing but a merciless cold-blooded murderer.  
  
At the thought of what his 'friend' was doing, Wufei's insides gave a terrible wrench of pain, but he grit his teeth and made himself bear it.  
  
***  
  
"Are you sure you felt it here, Quatre?" The braided boy stopped across the street from a particularly disgusting looking hookers' joint named 'The Oasis', turning his amethyst-eyed gaze back at the blonde Arabian and his other tall unibanged comrade.  
  
"Yes, there are two near here Duo. Unless I'm mistaken, which I'm -not-, one's in that...place...and the other is outside." Quatre replied irritably.  
  
"Sorry Q-man, it's just been a rough night," Duo amended hastily. "You and Trowa take the one inside, I'll get the outsider. Is that okay? This'll be our last hit, I promise, then we can go home." They nodded and separated as they crossed the street.  
  
Quatre and Trowa weeded their way through the crowded sidewalk and cautiously slipped into the club, automatically blasted full on with the smell of sweat, other bodily fluids, alcohol, and smoke.  
  
"Oh my..." Quatre paled as they entered the main part.  
  
Despite the disturbing sight of women pole dancing on the stages and stripping to a bunch of horny lechers, that wasn't what made him feel sick. The empath was overwhelmed by the feelings of emptiness and pain, depression, the shame of going home to their fatherless children with what little money they had made bedding a few vile men or from exposing themselves just for others' kicks. [1]  
  
Quatre had felt varying degrees of physical suffering of victims at the hands of vampires, the warmth of being rolled under to keep from screaming out loud while having their life drained away bit by bit, but he had never felt such raw emotional trauma before.  
  
"Quatre? Quatre!" Trowa took hold of his shoulders and shook him gently. "Breathe."  
  
"I- I'm sorry, I was just- caught off guard," he stammered, trying to block out the feelings of the women. "Our target's in the back, behind the stages."  
  
"Are you sure you're all right?" Trowa pressed, squeezing him reassuringly.  
  
"Yes, I am, let's get this over with, shall we?" Quatre smiled up at him.  
  
He nodded silently and the two began to weave a path through the hormone-crazed crowd.  
  
***  
  
Heero stared down coldly at the dead body of the scantily clad call girl. He was satisfied for now, but he wanted to deal with a certain Chinese vampire's scorn for his own kind. He didn't know why he had put up with Wufei's contempt for so long. Maybe he thought that time could change the stubborn boy's mind, that maybe he wouldn't see this way of life as a curse when it was truly a gift. They would forever outlive the race of mortals, and could even dominate if they wanted to. It wouldn't make a difference. With every one human killed, there were millions more being born somewhere else, preparing to live through their miserable existence only to wait for their eventual end.  
  
Heero suddenly tensed, throwing up a mental barrier around himself and creeping out into the hall, his cobalt blue eyes narrowed dangerously. There were Slayers coming and being so nettled in his own thoughts, he had forgotten to mask his power, making himself an obvious target.  
  
'Damn it.' He looked like a cornered panther, prowling backwards towards the exit, keeping his deadly gaze fixed at the other end of the hall. Nothing, nobody. Yet.  
  
Heero's outstretched hand met the icy metal of the door and he slid out soundlessly.  
  
***  
  
'Tch, I hate it when it's full moon, these bastards don't give us any rest. It's a good thing it only happens once a month, or this would be the death of us all.' Duo thought, disgruntled as he walked cautiously down the alleyway behind the 'Oasis'. Now that he was closer, he could feel the presence of the vampires, the one inside fainter than the one he was searching for. This target must be a newly turned, or just stupidly uninformed, usually by now they would have sensed his coming and hidden themselves. As if on cue, the vampire inside vanished from Duo's radar. Wufei was jerked back to reality when a new aura he had never felt before washed over him like sunlight after a storm breaks. It was alarmingly soothing, trying to make him go off guard. He didn't remember Heero ever warning him of something of the sort, certainly humans never felt like this.  
  
It couldn't possibly be another vampire either. No, because then he would feel cold, not this warm sensation. Whatever it was, it was as silent as a mouse; Wufei could barely make out the sound of footsteps on the rough alley gravel as he strained his ears.  
  
'Yep, this is definitely a new guy,' Duo concluded, amused at how the Chinese boy was trying to seem nonchalant as he leaned against the shadowy wall, yet his onyx eyes darted around, intent on finding the source of his approaching footsteps. But Duo was somewhat surprised too; the vampire appeared to be not much older than he was, if not the same age. He almost felt sorry that he had to kill the poor guy. Almost. Duo stepped out of the darkness.  
  
Wufei was utterly awestruck when the braided boy revealed himself under the moonlight. This definitely couldn't be a mortal. He was like an angel, in spite of his all black attire. His pale skin seemed to glow and his amethyst eyes glittered behind wisps of chestnut bangs, the expression on his heart- shaped face that of one trying to disguise his sympathy.  
  
The door to Wufei's right opened, abruptly ending the moment of amazement as Heero snuck out. "Chang-" he cut off as he caught sight of Duo. He knew the slayers were supposed to be disarming looking, but this was ridiculous.  
  
They couldn't do anything with the beautiful slayer tonight, it was to close to dawn. There was always tomorrow though. Thinking fast, Heero grabbed Wufei's arm and they dissolved into the shadows before Duo could get them.  
  
***  
  
[1]Read Mercedes Lackey's 'Gryphon' book series. She has empaths in those books, and I am just borrowing the concept. Empaths can feel people's emotions and use their powers to calm people down, though some are powerful enough to pick up on a person's memories and mental thoughts if they touch them. But yeah, you have to read the books to understand, or you'll understand as the story progresses. Either way. ^^  
  
So? Yea or nay? Do you guys like it so far? ^^ 


	2. Chapter 2

Ai! Gomen nasai for the little delay, been busy packing for Christmas vacation, so be prepared for another long delay. I'll be spending the next eight days with my relatives, and only one has a computer, so I'll probably be able to get on maybe -twice- if I'm lucky, so that means just long enough for poor me to check my mail and get off. So that means the next chapter won't be posted until near New Years' Eve. Gomen nasai!!! To make up for it though, I've made this chapter longer and a lot more intense and full of plot. ^^  
  
[Wufei: I still have yet to see you get revenge on Heero. You evilly -tortured- me in the last fic, yet there's nothing for him! *pouts*  
  
DVG: *pats his head* Don't you worry Fei-chan, Heero will get his turn. In this chapter in fact, and this is only a little of the 'torture' I have planned. *evil grin*  
  
Heero: *reads ahead, his eyes go wide, and he falls into a dead faint*  
  
DVG: See? I told ya, Wu-bear. *snuggle*]  
  
Thanks you guys for all your wonderful reviews!!! Especially to my coolest-reviewer-person-ever Shella for her great two page long reviews!! I'm glad you're enjoying this!  
  
Disclaimer: I STILL don't own Gundam Wing. One day...Just you wait, I will...  
  
Warning: The usual, major Relena bashing, Heero being an asshole...you people know the drill!  
  
So...without further adieu...the story!!!  
  
  
  
  
  
***  
  
"Next time, don't be so stupid Chang."  
  
They had made it to their safe house without another incident.  
  
"What was that?" Wufei countered, glowering at Heero for accusing him of being stupid. "Sometimes people like to know what to expect, or is that a concept you haven't grasped yet Yuy?"  
  
Heero's glare intensified at the offense. "Those three were slayers, they are -never- to be taken lightly. Appearances can be extremely deceiving."  
  
"Three?" he paused. "But there was only the one outside."  
  
"There were two more inside." Heero replied tersely. "Their only mission in life is to destroy our kind, they alone are the only reason that we haven't risen above pathetic mortals. Keeping us in check by killing us off. Remember that next time you decide to gawk at a person intent on killing you in the slightest sign of weakness."  
  
Wufei didn't answer; he sat staring pensively at the cement floor, debating with himself. After a minute, Heero stalked off into one of the side rooms, leaving him alone.  
  
He didn't see why Heero was so damn angry, if anything, it should be -him- that was furious. He had been the one left in the dark. Though, he should have anticipated beings like those slayers anyways. But still...he would have never expected a supposed enemy to look so exquisite, almost unearthly.  
  
If appearances were deceiving, then the violet-eyed slayer was more ruthless a murderer than Heero Yuy was. Which was saying something.  
  
***  
  
Heero supported himself against the doorframe of his room, surveying Wufei, who didn't seem to notice in the slightest. There were times when the Chinese boy was in these meditative moods that irked him more than when he blatantly scoffed vampires. This was one of those times. Especially after the run- in at the strip club they had had.  
  
Heero would have to keep a much closer watch on Wufei for the next couple of days; just to be sure he didn't try anything stupid. His desire on seeking out the vampire that turned him had been much more ambitious as of late. And with the information Wufei knew while staying with Heero involving frequented gathering places and hangouts, he could easily have half of the city's vampire population destroyed in one fail swoop if he passed it on to those slayers.  
  
In the meantime, Heero resolved with a cruel smirk as he went into his room, he would have fun toying with them. Maybe then their trust of the 'justice pursing' vampire, if he even gained it in the first place, would be riddled with doubt and suspicions.  
  
He couldn't just step aside and let Wufei help the slayers annihilate their, oh no wait, sorry, -Heero's- kind, now could he?  
  
***  
  
A good sleep and food, more accurately two whole large supreme pizzas with everything on them, does wonders when a person is exhausted after a hard night of work.  
  
Duo appeared to have let the ordeal with the two vampires' escape slide, but Quatre knew better. He could tell that it still irritated Duo, even if he didn't outwardly look like it did.  
  
Sitting together in the living room of their apartment, the three were discussing game plans for that evening.  
  
"Let's split tonight," Duo suggested, swallowing (he had just finished off the second pizza). "Tro, you and the Q-man can take downtown while I take a couple of the hot spots. We'll be covering a bit more ground that way too."  
  
"Wanting to find those two again?" Trowa asked mildly.  
  
"No, I want to invite them over for Christmas," he replied sarcastically. "Yes I do, what they did was a personal insult to my pride as Shinigami."  
  
"Ah, they're going to have to be careful now, he's dragged Shinigami into this," Quatre said amusedly, taking a sip of his tea to refrain from snickering.  
  
"We're scared, petrified, really." Trowa added without any trace of witticism in his voice, but the blonde empath snorted into his cup.  
  
"I see how it is, you guys be like that," Duo sniffed, pretending to look hurt. "So do you wanna?"  
  
"Sounds fine, just be sure to keep yourself open to me so if you get in any trouble, we can get there," Quatre answered seriously.  
  
"Me? Get in trouble? Nah..." Duo trailed off, but added reassuringly, "Of course I will, Q-man."  
  
***  
  
Wufei didn't know what Heero was playing at, the next night when he casually remarked about going out for a walk, he was instantly met with a self-invitation to join him in a just as off-handed reply. Normally Heero would do anything within his power to lose Wufei, but then here he was trying to be buddy- buddy all of a sudden.  
  
He was up to something.  
  
With obvious resentment, Wufei consented as he pulled on his trenchcoat. It was better to act unaware than to show signs of misgivings. His destination was a fair few blocks away, probably about an hour-long walk from where he and Heero were staying, so he hoped that after a while Heero would get the hint and leave him alone.  
  
Wufei didn't have to wait for that even. Within four blocks, a blonde haired girl rounded the corner and broke out into a high- pitched, nail on chalkboard shout as she saw them.  
  
"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRROOOOO!"  
  
He twitched, hoping his eardrums where still in tact. 'Oh dear god, no...'  
  
If there was ever a time that Heero didn't look completely cold and emotionless, this was one of them. A spasm of utter fear fixed itself on his face as the blonde Devil's spawn latched herself like a leech to his arm, cooing about how much she had missed him.  
  
Maybe those great deities he thought had forsaken him still had some hope left for Wufei after all with this stroke of luck.  
  
Unlike Heero, this opportunity -wasn't- the good kind, point made by the 'stroke of luck' stalker herself whose glass- shattering hunting cry was his own name.  
  
"What a...er...-pleasure- it is to see you again, Relena...I'll just leave you two alone, shall I?" Wufei offered tentatively, slowing beginning to back away.  
  
"Oh, if I interrupted anything between you and my Heero-"  
  
"It's fine! You didn't interrupt at all, by all means, you two go and have fun," he asserted, waving it off as if it were nothing.  
  
If possible, Relena tightened her grip and Heero let out what could almost pass as a whimper as she hauled him off in the other direction.  
  
'Perfect.' Wufei thought gratefully, continuing on down the sidewalk. He was more than likely going to pay for that later, but it was all right, he just wanted to be able to think freely for once.  
  
The stroll ended at a rather large, boisterous bar called 'Chasing the Dragon' on a main street corner a half a mile from the Chinese district. Even though it was more towards the outskirts of the city, 'Chasing the Dragon' was highly popular and always brimming with people. An excellent place for a person who doesn't want to be found to hide, all he had to do was filter into the endless sea of people and tuck himself away in a corner.  
  
In the very few, scarce chances he managed to lose Heero, Wufei came here for refuge. That and the fact that the wall surrounding one of the first buildings in the district was barely visible from the corner window where he sat, the place that had been his home before the encounter two years ago. The 'Chasing the Dragon' was the closest he could ever get to it without being recognized.  
  
Shutting his eyes, Wufei could picture the grounds almost flawlessly, but the memory was like a photograph and like photographs the longer they are kept and looked at over and over again, little by little they fade the tiniest bit with every glance.  
  
It would start with the extensive creamy white walls that encompassed the Long clan's property; the only entrance was the wide emerald green framed threshold that opened to a broad dirt path. Immaculately kept green lawns and trees filled the space between the walls and the annexed houses inside. The houses were the same creamy color as the walls, the curling, many-tiled roofs the same bright green as the gate. He knew if he went behind the connected houses and followed the flat dirt path further, he would find the rolling, flower shrouded hills that he would sit in when studying or meditating.  
  
Though now Wufei could feel that past beginning to slip through his fingers like grains of sand, he would struggle a bit to remember all the rooms, all the people who had lived in those houses with him. But he didn't want to forget.  
  
Opening his forlorn, onyx eyes and gazing through the window, Wufei remembered the tremendous shock he experienced when the cruel realization that he could never go back to his home hit him. It had been a newspaper carelessly tossed to the ground with the bold headlines reading 'Long Heir Missing For Two Weeks- Presumed Dead'. It still felt like a horrible slap in the face sometimes, even if it had been two years.  
  
Loud cheers rang, breaking Wufei's train of thought, and there were raucous calls of "Hey Duo!" or "Here comes Death!". Tearing his gaze from the window, Wufei scanned the crowd to see who caused the disturbance. Someone sitting at a nearby table, a vampire from what he sensed before the person put up a shield, hissed "It's a slayer.".  
  
His curiosity piqued, what if all slayers looked like the one from last night?, Wufei sat up more in his chair and discovered that he was somewhat right. Of course, the slayer coming into the 'Chasing the Dragon' was the same one he was imagining. Chestnut braid, laughing violet eyes and all.  
  
***  
  
  
  
Ahahahahaahahahahahaha!!! What will Wufei do? What will Relena do to Heero?  
  
You'll have to wait until after I get back after Christmas, and don't you worry, I'll probably be suffering major computer withdrawal so I'll write the next chapter in like an hour. ^^ 


	3. Chapter 3

Yaay!! DVG got her computer back!! Whether or not that's a good thing is a whole other story, but hey! I got the next chapter for my wonderful reviewers! And like I said, I seriously got this written in an hour, because while up at my relatives house I used all my free time (which was a -lot-) to think up the chapter and all sorts of fun plot twists! And we are going to have plenty of plot twists, trust me. We have a couple of whoppers in just this one! And I'll probably even have another chapter ready by this afternoon, 'cause I'm on a roll! Maybe computer withdrawal has its perks. But I'd rather not do it again...*shudder*  
  
Now for some reviews!  
  
Mars: Yep, it was an hour. Half to write it, the other half combing through and fixing any mistakes. Lol, Relena the Banshee. That was close.  
  
Seeress: Well, technically, I don't think I am making Relena a vampire. I was thinking of making her a lame succubus, she can't seduce anyone with the -horrible- voice of hers, so she relies on Heero to do all the dirty work. But now this idea of the banshee...That's sounding more befitting of her...  
  
Goddess Blue: Actually, there was no connection whatsoever to Duo chasing Wufei and the bar name. *sweatdrop* I mean, that's a great connection...but I was thinking more of how the bar's near Wufei's home, and he wants to go there, so it's like -he's- 'chasing the dragon' in a way. That and 'chasing the dragon' is a term for drug addicts, or alcoholics for the purpose of the bar, but yeah...  
  
Nata-chan: I'm glad you're loving the story! And yes I know there wasn't much dialogue in the second chapter, because it was meant to be that way. The second chapter was more for plot and character development, so I didn't use much dialogue. ^^ Don't worry, there's much more dialogue in this chapter, along with some fun...er...'developments'. *ahem*  
  
Disclaimer: I WILL OWN GUNDAM WING ONE DAY!!! But for now...I don't...so...damn.  
  
Warnings: Same as always. And Heero...ah, can't say anything there, that would give the ending away...But there's more Relena bashing! ^^ And Trowa swears. I thought it was funny when I wrote it, but that's just me...  
  
And now for the moment I'm sure you've -all- been -dying- for...THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
***  
  
//What makes me think that it'll work out in the end//  
  
//Afraid to feel bad, better off to try and pretend//  
  
//I'm immortal, immune to all that is wrong//  
  
//Just keep on wishing, crossing my fingers so long//  
  
//Is this helping, I'm growing weaker each day//  
  
//Can't stop whining, still afraid of what I might say//  
  
//Or reactions, that control us one and all//  
  
//It's mine, it's pure and as decent as I can make myself//  
  
//Inside, we all know, only the strong survive//  
  
//Why don't you think about that//  
  
//So now I'm bleeding, on myself, yes once again//  
  
//Seems I trusted another deceitful friend//  
  
//My fault, should've known the deal//  
  
//Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer//  
  
//For real//  
  
//Seems easy, but nothing could be so hard//  
  
//Trying to guess life's dealing, what's the next card//  
  
//I'm surely folding, I don't like this hand at all//  
  
//It's mine, it's pure and as decent as I can make myself//  
  
//Inside you know, only the strong survive//  
  
//Keep those eyes wide open, here comes a blind side//  
  
//Maybe things happen for a reason, and wherein lies the answer//  
  
//To overcome the grieving of life's unruly lessons//  
  
//I'm handed in succession, it builds my pain//  
  
//Which makes me strong//  
  
//It's mine, it's pure and as decent as I can make myself//  
  
//Inside, we all know, only the strong survive// [1]  
  
As Duo hopped up on one of the tall barstools, he could feel a vampire approaching him from his back left side. Either he was -really- full of himself to just come up to a slayer, or he was -incredibly- stupid. Duo almost wished he had Quatre's empathic powers to figure out which one it was so he was somewhat prepared, but then as soon as the aforementioned vampire sat beside him, Duo knew it was definitely better that he -didn't- have them.  
  
Coincidentally, it was the exact person he was searching for too.  
  
Wufei's expression was a confusing mix of halfheartedly masked depression, immense pain, and extreme nervousness at being caught by any of the other vampires. Openly conversing with slayers wasn't exactly being a friendly citizen in their books, but he really didn't care. For a second, Wufei was lost for words as he looked into Duo's surprised face. Even being up this close in the dim, smoky light, he seemed just as, if not more, beautiful than he had the previous night outside the 'Oasis'.  
  
"I- I apologize, I wasn't able to talk to you before, with the kind of awkward situation and all...But will you please hear me out?" Wufei began, his anxious onyx gaze searching imploringly in amethyst.  
  
Pinching himself just to make sure this wasn't a dream, Duo nodded mutely, not able to break their gazes. Rule number one as a slayer was never to look in their eyes because that was how they rolled their prey under, but he couldn't help it, he was lost in the swirl of tormenting emotions emanating from those mesmerizing ebony eyes...besides, it seemed like pegging Duo on his hit list wasn't even a thought in his mind at the moment.  
  
"I'm listening."  
  
"I need your help. I want to find out if there's any way I can get rid of this -damnation-, I hate it. I want to be human again, to be able to go out in the sunlight and not fear it, to stop hiding from everything," Wufei turned his eyes down the floor between them. "I want to go home..."  
  
Duo would have reached out to comfort him, but with God knows how many other bloodsuckers there were in the bar with them, he thought better of it.  
  
"Even if you were able to be human again, you still couldn't go back, as sucky as it sounds. All hell would break loose if you were to suddenly appear out of nowhere," Duo replied truthfully. "I don't think there's a plausible excuse, I don't know how long it's been of course, but it would take a lot of explaining if you showed up on the doorstep out of thin air and said 'I'm home!'."  
  
Wufei winced; he had put that into consideration, though hearing the hurtful reality from someone else didn't ease the pain. "You're probably right," he admitted quietly. "But still, just to be normal again...I hate this!" He clenched his hands furiously, keeping himself from slamming them on the bar counter and causing a scene.  
  
"Don't worry," Duo amended quickly, glancing around to make sure no one was staring at them. "I'll talk with some friends of mine and see what they know. I usually stay clear of all the books and knowledge crap, I'm more of the 'jump right into the action and kick ass' kinda guy, but I can ask them. There might be something, though I wouldn't put much hope on it."  
  
Wufei looked back up at him. "You mean you actually believe me?"  
  
"Sure, I can't read minds or anything, but I'm not -stupid-. You're either the best damn actor I've ever seen, or your being completely honest with me." Duo smiled. "I'd go for the latter."  
  
"I- Well- Thanks," Wufei muttered, feeling his cheeks go red.  
  
He laughed, only making the matters worse. "No problem. Gimme a couple of days, do you wanna meet back here? Or somewhere else?"  
  
"Here is fine," he answered, struggling to regain composure.  
  
"Good, now if you excuse me...I've gotta start patrolling," Duo got up and edged his way into the crowd. At the door, he glanced back and saw Wufei watching him before heading out into the night.  
  
***  
  
"Trowa, we've got two ahead, to the right," Quatre said, breaking away from the sidewalk and turning to the alleyway beside them. There hadn't been any signal from Duo's direction, so he seemed to be doing well on his own so far.  
  
Halfway into the alley, the two were blasted with an earth- shattering shriek.  
  
"HEEEEEEEEEEEROOOOOO!! Damn you, don't you run away from me! I'm coming!"  
  
Quatre thought he was going to faint as the howl vibrated off the walls, horribly amplified before dying out. To him, not only -his- brain was reeling from the shock and ears ringing, but so was Trowa, Heero's, and anyone within fifty feet of him too.  
  
"Shit." Trowa left Quatre and hurried on around the bend, only to find a dead body. Apparently, whatever -thing- had made the terrible screech had caught up with the other vampire. [2]  
  
Still somewhat blown away, Quatre caught up a few seconds later as he was about to turn back.  
  
"Got away again."  
  
"What?"  
  
"One of those two was the vampire from last night," Quatre replied, rubbing his ears tenderly.  
  
Trowa glanced darkly in the shadows about them. "Well, there isn't anything we can do about it now. Let's move." He slipped an arm around the blonde boy's slender waist as they left the scene.  
  
***  
  
Heero rested his aching head against the cool surface of the cement wall. First he had barely succeeded to dodge getting caught -again- by the slayers; then he had managed to get rid of Relena. With the promise of going somewhere with her tomorrow. Damn. He was going to KILL Wufei for weaseling away and using her as an escape.  
  
Heero did not like this disappearance act. Not in the least. His suspicions were all but confirmed by this new level of secrecy, and he correctly assumed that Wufei knew that he was suspecting him by the way he so easily agreed earlier.  
  
All Heero had to do was wait for him to come home. Not matter how hard he tried not to, Wufei was bound to let something slip if the right buttons were pushed.  
  
His plans may have been postponed for then, but tomorrow was another night.  
  
***  
  
It was nearly dawn when Wufei entered the basement apartment, pulling off his black trenchcoat and tossing it onto the side of the couch as he flopped down on it. As tired as he was from wandering around the city, trying to put off returning for as long as he could, he couldn't remember the last time he felt so content. Almost cheerful.  
  
And Duo...he -trusted- him despite the monster he was. If he could find some way to help undo the curse, Wufei would put himself in his debt forever. Not that he would mind any.  
  
"Have a nice 'walk'?"  
  
"Have a nice date with Relena?" Wufei responded cynically, looking at Heero, who was emerging from his room and looking quite bad-tempered.  
  
"I will get my revenge on you for that," he growled dangerously.  
  
"Oh I'm really scared, what are you going to do? Put a stake through my heart when I sleep?" Wufei snorted.  
  
"That would only be doing a good thing," Heero replied coldly. "It's what you want isn't it? Can't cut it as a vampire, so you'd rather take the easy way out."  
  
He sat bolt upright, scowling angrily. "So I 'can't cut it' now, is that it? You know damn well I despise this- this curse- this disgusting affliction!"  
  
Heero's glower was smoldering. "Urusai!"  
  
"What? Does the truth hurt too much?" Wufei demurred scathingly.  
  
"I said shut up."  
  
"A bit touchy are we-"  
  
Heero suddenly swooped down and pulled him to his feet by the straps of his dark blue tank top with one hand. Wufei's eyes went wide and he tensed, waiting for the punch that was sure to follow, but then-  
  
Heero kissed him.  
  
Hard.  
  
And abruptly loosed his grip on his shirt, making him fall back down to the couch.  
  
Wufei could only stare as he jaw dropped slightly, utterly blown away by the absolutely out of character move.  
  
"Got you to shut up, didn't I?" Heero smirked, and without so much as a second glance, went into his room again. [3]  
  
***  
  
[1] 'Only The Strong' by Flaw. I thought it was quite fitting for Wufei. 'Nuff said.  
  
[2]Still don't know what to call Relena in this fic. So she's just the 'thing' for now.  
  
[3]Bet no one saw -that- coming...*ahem* I don't think Wufei will be complaining to me for a while about the injustice of my fics...  
  
And now! On to work on the next chapter!! Keep your eyes out! ^.~ And the author would love to have her enormous ego fed by much gracious reviews from her wonderful reviewers. ^^ 


	4. Chapter 4

Hmm...Well, ff.net's been kinda funky with me the past couple of days, I'm not sure if it was with you guys or not, but I couldn't get onto my account or anything, I guess they were updating. But I would've posted this next chapter sooner if I were able to get into my account! Maybe this is also why I only got -two- reviews...*sniffle* lol, just kidding around. 

YAAY! My coolest reviewer-person ever Shella! I thought someone was missing when I posted the second chapter! You're wonderful-ness reviews always make my day. But yes, Heero's little *ahem* move certainly raises a lot of questions and fun stuff for me to play with. *evil grin* I'm going to be wickedly evil in this story, it started out with Duo going to be the main attraction (like he still isn't...*drool*), but as I write, I seem to be getting more involved with Wufei in this one. I dunno, foreshadowing on things to come maybe? *hint hint on the plot twists* But yesh, Duo is a sweetheart, just wait until you read what I have in store in this chapter. Lots of action, I got so into writing the fight scene I ran out of room to put in the evil cliffhanger/plot twist that I was going to use. But that's all right, there's always the next chapter. ^^ 

And yes, I think I'm just going to stick with Relena the Thing...or the It Creature from the Pink Dildo Lagoon, who knows? 

*Ahem* Now for all the technical stuff *groan* before we begin the next fun filled chapter...

Disclaimer: I DON'T own Gundam Wing, okay?! *sniffle* I don't think my plan of -ever- owning will succeed, but a rabid fan-girl can dream big, can't she? *sniffle* 

Warning: Same as the last few, except with only -mild- Relena bashing and Heero isn't as much of an asshole. And there is much fun action at the end. A few gratuitous sexual innuendoes hidden too, if you're as hentai as me, you should have no problems finding them. ^^ Let see what else...Ah yes, some Quatre and Duo abuse, but of the good sort! Trowa gets to be all lovey-dovey with the Q-man and pokes fun at our fave braided bishie. ^^ Nothing too serious. 

Now that the technical stuff is out of the way...On with the show!! Yaay!

***

Quatre and Trowa met up with Duo outside their apartment complex at sunrise. Quatre kept a close eye on Duo as they headed inside and got onto the elevator, he was picking up on a whole mess of feelings from the braided boy, even though on the outside he was his usual buoyant self. There was nervousness, doubt, exhilaration, sympathy, and desire all blending into his aura and Quatre could tell Duo was itching to spill everything to them, but his anxiety was partially restraining him from asking the questions burning in his brain.

Duo knew all this; he didn't have to see the empath's penetrating aquamarine gaze watching him to know, though he wasn't necessarily trying to hide it either. He was slowly screwing up the courage to bring up the predicament with Wufei, but he wasn't sure how the two would take it.

Upon entering their apartment, Duo took a deep breath and threw all caution into the wind. 

"Hey Q-man, you wouldn't happen to know if there was a way a vampire could be turned back into a human, would you?" he inquired casually. 

Quatre's arm hung in midair as he paused in the processing of putting his jacket in the closet; whatever he had been expecting, it hadn't been that. "I'm not sure Duo. If the vampire was pure blooded, then definitely no, but if it's someone who had been turned, then perhaps there might be a way. I don't really know, I would have to look it up. Why do you ask?" 

"I was just wondering...and- er- well..." Duo cleared his throat uneasily and reluctantly told him and Trowa about Wufei and what had gone on at the bar. 

"And you believed him? Just like that?" said Trowa skeptically. 

"Man, you should've seen the expression on his face!" he exclaimed defensively. "I wouldn't've brought Quatre within like twenty feet of the guy or he would've gone ballistic! He was in so much pain Trowa..." 

"Vampires are good actors, you know that."

"But he was sincere," Duo argued.

"He's telling the truth Trowa," Quatre cut in quietly. He had been silent during Duo's story and their disagreement, reading into the braided boy's mind as he spoke. He had seen Wufei's face the way Duo had, flashes of memory as he recounted their talk, and would readily admit, from what he had perceived, that he was entirely correct in saying that he wouldn't want to go within twenty feet of the vampire. Just the fresh memory itself was enough to cause pangs of what Duo and Wufei felt during their discussion. 

"As far as I can tell, there was no influence from the vampire at all on Duo's decision or on the conversation in the whole," Quatre continued now that he had their attention. "I see no problems in trying to help a person in need." 

"Thanks Q-man," Duo said gratefully. 

Trowa only shrugged apologetically; there was no arguing with the blonde's point of view.

"Well, now that that's out of the way...I'm going to bed," Duo yawned, getting up from his armchair and plodding off to his room.

***

It took a while for the initial shock to wear off. Wufei couldn't quite figure how long it had been since Heero had retreated to his room, but he was fairly sure that it had been a good couple of hours by the feeling of the sun outside of the building. What could have possibly driven Heero to -kiss- him, of all things, he didn't even want to begin to understand, Wufei thought he was going to hit him at least, not hit -on- him. Though it had certainly got him to be quiet, that was for sure. 

Now that he wasn't so utterly thunderstruck, Wufei was restless. Usually by this time of the day he was asleep, he didn't have to put up with knowing that the sun was up and he couldn't go out into it without the consequence of turning to dust. But he was awake, and knew the sun was out and that he was stuck in the stupid windowless basement apartment with Heero, who was the absolute -last- person he wanted to be confined in a closed space with. Especially for the amount of time they had to wait on for it to be night once more. At least Heero was asleep, and Wufei could occupy himself with constructing a plan of escape so he wouldn't go insane. He couldn't always count on Relena hounding their every waking moments for 'her Heero' and use her to slip away and meet up with Duo again. 

***

Dusk was drawing near as the three slayers readied themselves for another night of work. 

Duo, along with some assistance and references from Quatre, had spent the last few hours reading through books for anything that might tell him ways of turning a vampire normal. So far there had been all sorts of interesting cases of crossbreeds, betrayal, failure, lewdness, and massacre, but nothing close to the information he was searching for. Duo wasn't going to confess they were far more entertaining than he had originally expected them to be, though Trowa -did- have to practically drag him from his bedroom to get him out the door.

"Come on Duo, just because we agreed to help doesn't mean you get to skip off your duties as a slayer," Quatre reprimanded as he came out of the apartment with Trowa following close behind. 

"I wasn't trying to," Duo said, pretending to look hurt. 

"Sure you weren't." 

"You know, sometimes I really don't like that empath thing you do," he grumbled irritably. 

"You don't like it because he won't let you get away with anything," Trowa smirked. 

"Well- that too- but- hey! This isn't 'Pick On Duo' night!" 

"You're right, it's time to work. Not pout."

Duo sulked the rest of the elevator ride down, but once out in the night air, he was instantly wired and ready to go. 

*** 

When Heero emerged from his room to commence with his nocturnal routine, he found Wufei still out on the couch where he had left him earlier, much to his amusement. 

"Are you going out for a 'walk' again tonight?" 

Silence. 

"No answer? Or are you afraid I might make a repeat of last night?" Heero prodded tauntingly.

"No I'm not, and I'd rather not repeat last night if you don't mind," Wufei quipped just as sarcastically, not even looking over at him.

"I see you don't appreciate my sense of humor."

"If that was your idea of a sense of humor, I'm afraid to know what you do for serious comic relief," he replied flatly. 

Heero snorted. "Think what you will, but I'm out of here." He grabbed his leather jacket from the coat rack near the front door and left Wufei to be by himself. 

'Good, I don't have to worry about him getting in the way tonight,' he added in thought as he decided to go slayer hunting.

***

'Great...This is -really- great...NOT.'

Taking the 'scenic' route through the park, Duo, Quatre, and Trowa had the luck of running into reasonably sized gang of vampires and were currently engaged in trying to not get themselves killed, let alone killing the enemy. There had to have been at least fifteen of the fanged bloodsuckers, and with only the three of them, it wasn't a very easy feat in spite of their experience and training. 

So far they had managed to eliminate four. Eleven to go. 

As he was thrown like a rag doll into an unpleasantly hard tree trunk, Duo was feeling pretty sympathetic for poor Quatre at the moment. Not only did the empath have to deal with fighting, but he also had to put up with all the injuries they get and the tremendous pain the vampires went through just as they were reduced to dust. That and the gorgeous bruise he was going to have on his back afterwards from his gun holster clipped to the back of his black pants. Being surrounded by four vampires kind of hindered Duo's attempts at going over and aiding Trowa as he tried to fight and protect his beau, who was seeming liable to pass out from emotion overload any second, at the same time. Of course, he -still- had to keep a confident façade on his face too, couldn't let the enemy see signs of weakness. Put it all together and you have one braided slayer in one REALLY sucky ass situation. 

"C'mon! Is that all you got? You didn't even break any bones!" Duo grinned amiably, forcing himself to stand steady as he struggled up. He tightened his grip on his gun behind him as a female to his left lunged at him and got shot right through the chest. 'Sorry Q-man,' Duo thought apologetically, watching her disintegrate at the same time as Trowa knocked out three more. 

Add four to the hit list. Seven to go. 

Now would be Duo's cue to go Shinigami and just shoot wildly into the enclosing remainder to get this madness over with. Charging straight into the group and taking them by surprise, he did just that, taking an additional two down with him. Unfortunately, a duck and a well-placed punch by the football player-sized third vampire ended the second of glory, sending Duo crashing into some nearby rose bushes. Extremely -thorny- rose bushes. It didn't damper his spirits though, once he was able to get his breath back.

"Oooww...DAMN IT! I tried playing nice, and see the thanks I get?! That's it! You've royally pissed me off!" Slamming a fresh cartridge into his gun, Duo came barreling out from the destroyed bushes and looked dangerously homicidal, especially with all the lovely bleeding cuts. First the football player went, then he helped relieve Quatre and Trowa of their last persistent few.

The expression of macabre satisfaction was quickly replaced by concern though as Duo rushed forward and he and Trowa caught Quatre by an arm before he collapsed.

"Go on ahead and take him home, I'll finish off our shift tonight," Duo offered grimly, climbing tentatively to his feet as the tall boy easily lifted the unconscious empath from the grass. 

"Are you sure? You're not looking too well yourself," Trowa pointed out apprehensively. 

"Nah...I've been worse, it's all right really- it just seems bad because of the blood," he dismissed lightly. "I'll get cleaned up and be good as new, I swear."

"Are you positively-"

"Yes! Now go! Go home! I'll be -fine-, jeez...Don't make me sound like a broken record, just -go-, I can take care of everything," Duo assured resolutely. "Besides I'm too wound up from our little soirée with our fanged buddies." 

"Okay, I believing you...but if you don't come back, I'm not going to search for you, or if you return with some new 'project' like last night, I'll disown you," Trowa smirked. 

"I'm glad I'm so loved."

"You're welcome." 

Duo puffed his cheeks and glared at Trowa indignantly as he walked off chuckling. "Bastard."

He really didn't mean what he said, he knew he was only playing around, because if he actually -didn't- come home, Quatre would beat Trowa with a stick. They cared for each other though, underneath all the sarcasm and jokes, they were too much like a weird family with all they had been though together not to. 

Once the two were out of sight, Duo winced as he went to the nearest bathroom to wash himself off and get the broken thorns and twigs from his long plait, muttering about being an awful sucker for getting himself stuck with the dirty work. The damage actually wasn't as bad as it appeared, like he had said, the cuts from the rose bushes weren't all that serious, but he was -definitely- not going to be very happy when he hauled his sorry ass in bed later. A huge knot had begun to form on the small of his back from being chucked into the tree and the ache in his diaphragm from the blow felt like a million pins pricking all through his chest if he breathed too deeply. 

Those minor details aside, he was just -peachy-. Other than looking like he had been attacked by Edward Scissorhands that is. But Duo had made a promise, and he never went back on his word, so he didn't complain as he hit the street a few minutes later to wear off the adrenaline from the fight in the park.

***


	5. Chapter 5

WOO HOO! NEW CHAPTER! And I got lots of wonderful-ness reviews! Yaay! The author's ego has been fed and she will now present her great-ness reviewers with their new chapter and some replies! ^^  
  
Yami Crystal: SHHH!! Don't give away one of the best parts of my fic! *wink* Glad you're liking this.  
  
Shella: Ah, my daily dose of a beautifully long review from my coolest reviewer-person ever! Yesh, Poor Quatre, but Trowa makes up for it in this chapter. *wink wink* Hell this chapter will have a few really good little twists to it. So you think I do a good job time spacing in my stories? Aww...Thankies! I really think it's a bit rushed, but when I get ideas I just write as I think so half the time I have to go back and re-read it to make sure it makes any sense at all. *sweatdrop* Eh he...but yeah, and the Heero/Wufei relationship takes a new turn once again with some *ahem* revelations on Heero's part. Here I go with suspense-building hints again...^^  
  
Mars: You found one of my hentai thoughts!!!! Hahaha! Consider that for a second...'Beat Trowa with a stick'...*AHEM* No more Austin Powers 3 for DVG...But yeah, Bad Heero. ^^ And I think Wufei might want to keep his eye balls in their sockets. No more pins and plushies for here ish the next chapter!!  
  
Disclaimer: Why do I even bother with this?...it's the same as always. *pout*  
  
Warning: Same as always. I'm being lazy. And a 3x4 cute moment. And heavy sarcasm. I was in a sarcastic mood, so sue me. It was going to be a really big fight scene, but I changed my mind and filled it in with sarcasm. The fight scene will be saved for later...*cough* foreshadowing *cough*  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
***  
  
Heero stood pondering his next transition outside a rave in the outer edges of the downtown area. All the tripping clubbers that kept coming in and out were looking very appeasing to his senses with their drug-induced energy and ecstasy, swinging around glow sticks on strings or twirling them between their fingers while dancing to the pounding techno music emanating from within the rumbling building. [1]  
  
But he had a mission to complete- work first, play later.  
  
Forcing himself to turn his gaze from the easy targets, Heero couldn't believe his eyes when he spied the person he was hoping to run into.  
  
Undoubtedly alone, the braided slayer appeared to have just come from a recent battle with some of his kind by the roughed up, lacerated appearance he had and the fatigued way he walked with his shoulders slightly stooped and negligent stare cast to the pavement. Despite all that though, he -still- managed to look good.  
  
Now approaching him without seeming too suspicious was going to be the hard part, at least that was what Heero thought anyway as he nonchalantly started walking down the sidewalk in Duo's direction.  
  
Heero thought wrong.  
  
He may have -appeared- heedless to his surroundings, but Duo was quite well aware of what was going on, and who was strolling, around him. Just as Heero was about to slip past, he snapped his head up and held a gaze of familiarity as it landed on the Japanese vampire.  
  
"Hey- you're the one who was with Wufei that other night, weren't you?" Duo addressed, stopping midstep and straightening up his posture a little.  
  
His sudden sharpness and perception caught Heero a bit off guard as he also hesitated at being spoken to. "Hn."  
  
So up close...he was too beautiful to be real, yet he was, even with all the jagged scratches and half dried blood- No, he had to stop letting his mind wander like that, such distraction could hinder his plan.  
  
"I'll just interpret the 'Hn' as a 'Yes', eh?" Duo smirked amusedly. "Well, you wouldn't happen to know where he is right now, would you?"  
  
The casual smile and the twinkle in those amethyst eyes made Heero's insides flutter slightly, he wasn't supposed to experience things of this nature, no, it should be the -slayer- who feels it. Or at least is threatening to destroy him. But he wasn't, he was just standing there, looking beautiful and holding a perfectly normal conversation with him. This one was overly trusting then, if one vampire was 'moral', it meant that his friends were. Oh if he only knew...  
  
Realizing Duo was waiting for a response, Heero merely shrugged. "The only answer I can give, you probably wouldn't like."  
  
"I don't think he's out stalking people to kill, if that's what you're implying," he objected, yet again throwing Heero for a loop.  
  
He certainly was too trusting, but he hadn't imagined him being so much so.  
  
"You really think so?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Yeah, I do," Duo replied obstinately. He couldn't understand why he trying to paint this new picture contradicting the Wufei he had talked to in the 'Chasing the Dragon', he had seemed friendly enough last time to pull the Chinese vampire out of harm's way when he, Quatre, and Trowa were pursuing them. Though something about him -did- give him a strange vibe.  
  
He may not be an empath, but Duo had the distinct feeling of coldness hidden under Heero's impassive mask, if he were to look into his eyes he would know for sure, but it was absolutely the number one error to do with a vampire. That was all they required, one falter of resolve and all was lost, there was no way of breaking their spell once they ensnared you unless they did it themselves. By then though, you were either dead or turning into a vampire yourself.  
  
'This was a mistake,' Duo thought regretfully, he should have never mentioned anything to Heero because he now knew enough to get Wufei into a lot of trouble and could use it to his advantage. Unfortunately, they were in too public a place for Duo to do something about it and he knew that his every move could be read now, given that he had let himself be open when he presumed Heero to be a friend of Wufei's. So Duo didn't even bother attempting to persuade him to go to another place with him so he -could- take care of this mistake. He had gotten himself backed into a corner with his big mouth. Like usual. And there wasn't a thing he could do except to ease his way out slowly.  
  
Heero was observing as the slayer finally realized what he had established from the minute he had begun the conversation, he was almost sorry for not being very subtle in his tactics as Duo closed up to him. The brightness he shone with was dimmed, his expression going remarkably emotionless beneath the frame of chestnut bangs, but his violet eyes continued glittering as he calculated a means of escape from the trick he had stupidly walked into.  
  
Yet, he was still beautiful. No, he couldn't think about that. He had the information he desired, getting rid of the slayer could wait while he finished his business with Wufei. But...to reach out and touch those cuts that marred his heart-shaped face-  
  
'No, go away. Before you're tempted.' With one more glance, Heero abruptly turned on his heel and disappeared into the crowd milling around the rave.  
  
***  
  
Trowa gently combed his fingers through Quatre's hair as he sat on the couch with his head in his lap, watching him as he rested. He wouldn't to be very happy if he wakes up and finds out that he had let Duo go on without them, so Trowa was hoping for him to just sleep the remainder of the night away until the braided boy got back. He didn't want Quatre to get upset about it, though he was sure Duo was perfectly capable of handling himself as he has proven many times before.  
  
Besides, Trowa didn't wish to spend the end of the night and the entire day with an adrenaline-pumped Duo being pissed off at him for not letting him finish his duties just because of a few scratches and bruises. Definitely not a good thing.  
  
The last time that had happened, he got bored and decided to rig the apartment full of traps and pranks while they were asleep. Quatre's shampoo was replaced with green hair dye, the toilet was Saran wrapped, salt was put in the sugar bowl, the living room was completely re-wired so that the CD player remote only worked on the television, the television remote only worked on the VCR, the VCR remote shut off all the lights and the light switches were connected to the CD player...just about practical joke ever created kept Quatre and Trowa on their toes until they finally hog-tied Duo and locked him in the bathroom until he agreed to fix everything back the way it was. [2]  
  
Needless to say, he did -not- want to go through that ordeal again. Though Quatre with neon green hair had been quite interesting.  
  
He looked over at the clock; it was two in the morning, so only four hours until Duo returned. Quatre began to stir and Trowa stroked his cheek gently, trying to coax him back to sleep but to no avail.  
  
"Ugh...How long have I been out?" he asked groggily, rubbing his eyes.  
  
"About three hours, I brought you back at eleven o'clock. Are you feeling better?"  
  
"Yes," Quatre smiled, appearing considerably more lively as he sat up and nestled himself beside Trowa. "I really have to practice blocking the vampires out so what happened in the park doesn't occur again, I shouldn't have to burden you and Duo like that."  
  
"You worry too much," he replied almost teasingly, kissing his forehead. "We don't mind the 'burden', so don't stress over it."  
  
"Speaking of 'we'...Where is Duo?" Quatre looked up at Trowa curiously.  
  
"He's still out, he refused to come with me when I brought you back because he wanted to finish tonight's duties," he answered in all honesty, there was no lying to the blonde. "I tried convincing him, but Duo's stubborn."  
  
"Sometimes too stubborn," Quatre sighed. "Well, it's too late to make him return now."  
  
"You're taking this incredibly well."  
  
"You -were- the one who told me not to worry too much, weren't you?" he smirked playfully. "Besides, for once we have the apartment all to ourselves without having to bother about him hollering 'PDA!' every time he walks in on us." [3]  
  
"That's his own fault for not knocking before entering. And we do have a couple of free hours..."  
  
Quatre smiled again and kissed Trowa as he pulled him up from the couch and into their bedroom.  
  
***  
  
Yes. He was without a doubt on to something.  
  
Wufei was troubled by the new attitude Heero was using around him. He didn't argue at all with him when he told him he wasn't going out that night like he normally would. Then of course there was his method of 'shutting people up'. Didn't see that coming at all.  
  
Heero was suspecting him and the last thing Wufei needed was him to find out about his meetings with Duo, or he would be in some serious shit.  
  
Wufei had retreated to his room to meditate the ill foreboding away; it weighed down heavily on his heart. Nothing bad can happen, at least not until after tomorrow night. It would be his fault if anything bad befell on the amethyst eyed slayer, he would readily accept punishment if he had to, but he would never be able to forgive himself if it was taken out on Duo or his friends helping him.  
  
How long he spent sitting there cross-legged on his bed lost deep in thought, he didn't know, but he was brought quite rudely back to reality with the slamming of the front door. Putting on his normal pissed-at-the-world scowl, Wufei opened his bedroom door and glared at Heero darkly as he came in, pulling off his jacket.  
  
"Could you slam the door a bit louder? I don't think the people on the top floor heard you," he snapped irritably.  
  
"Oh I'm sorry, let me fix that-" Heero pulled it open again and thrust it shut with all his strength, making a shattering smash ten times louder than the first. "Better?"  
  
"You know I was only being sarcastic Yuy," Wufei growled.  
  
"It's hard to tell with you."  
  
"Oh what- just because I don't cavort about -kissing- people for no apparent reason whatsoever?"  
  
"Now you're complaining?" Heero said amusedly.  
  
"Never gave me a change to before, so now is better than later," Wufei snorted derisively. "And why are you in such a good mood?"  
  
"Why are you so pissed off?"  
  
"That's not what I asked."  
  
"Well that's your answer whether you like it or not." Heero replied shortly. "My business is just that, my own."  
  
"God you are so damn aggravating sometimes," Wufei exclaimed, massaging his temple. "You're giving me a headache."  
  
"No, I think it's that ponytail cutting off the circulation to your brain."  
  
Wufei glowered menacingly at him and went back into his room without another word.  
  
Tonight must have been the night of regret, Heero determined, because now he was almost sorry he had to get rid of Wufei, the Chinese boy was really very entertaining when they fought like this. [4]  
  
***  
  
  
  
[1]Yes I know that's a blatant stereotype of ravers, not all people at raves do X or any other sort of drug just to trip out. Gotta love those glow sticks though. ^^  
  
[2]My friend actually did that to his parents. He had gotten grounded for not doing his chores right, so one day while they were out shopping, he totally rewired the entertainment system in their living room, though not the light switches of course. It took his dad a week and a half to get it all fixed. I thought it was something Duo might do. ^^  
  
[3] PDA- Public Displays of Affection. I must admit, I love annoying the hell out of my friends by doing that to them, sneaking up in the hallways at school when they're doing something with their significant other and yelling 'PDA!'. Though they do it to me to for revenge, so it's all good.  
  
[4]Yep it's back to hate. There are going to be a lot of fun twists in this morbid Heero/Wufei relationship before I'm done with this fic. *COUGH* FORESHADOWING *COUGH*  
  
Now on to the next chapter! Buwahaha...The evil Queen of Cliffhangers will show her all her glorious colors. What's Duo thinking after that encounter with Heero? What will Heero do with this incriminating information? Will Wufei's plan to meet Duo work? Tune in for the chapter!  
  
*guilty look* I've really got to stop watching soap operas... 


	6. Chapter 6

You are going to hate meeeeeee...  
  
Hmm...Well, I wasn't all too please with this chapter, I've got all these wickedly fun ideas swirling around in my head, but without the proper build-up and information, I couldn't just jump right in and write them, so this chapter is all the nitty- gritty that begins the downward spiral. Oh yeah baby, it's gonna get reaaaaaaaally ugly. *evil grin*  
  
*sniffle* Only two reviews for DVG? *pout* That's all right, Shella's wonderful-ness review made up for it! I'm sorry!!!! I don't mean to be so evil, I swear! It's just natural. ^^ But yeah, there isn't much Wufei/Heero action in this chapter, it's more centered around the slayers, though next chapter...Holy crap is it gonna get UGLY. Pure, grade A UGLY. Let's just say I am REAAAALLY enjoying myself as I'm writing. *evil grin* Anywho, I'm glad you liked the whole Wufei/Heero interaction! So many fun twists coming...*ahem* And Duo- analytical? Wow, didn't mean for it to go too in depth, but I guess I just get so carried away with my writing I don't even notice. *sweatdrop*  
  
And thank you. I luff shounen-ai. *sigh* Of course, I'm no straight person myself, so writing little lovey-dovey guy/guy scenes is no sweat. Now if only I could apply that to real life...*sniffle* Being single is not fun.  
  
BUT YEAH! I think I've rambled on enough, don't you agree? Yeah, you're probably about to strangle me, so let's just get on with the chapter, ne? I'm sure I don't have to go over the disclaimer and warnings -again-, if you're this far along into the fic, then there's no need!  
  
  
  
Without further adieu...  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
***  
  
Walking home, Duo was feeling lost. Not like he didn't know where he was going, because he certainly did, but just lost in general. He couldn't get the Japanese vampire from his mind no matter how hard he tried to think about something else.  
  
Duo had gone and opened his big mouth without even taking into account Heero's position in this situation, nor how Wufei would react if he knew that he had practically told his 'friend' everything. Even though he hadn't -literally- said anything; his guilty conscience was telling him that the way he had acted made him as readable as a book. He had given off the sense of having had a full conversation with Wufei at some point between the time at the 'Oasis' and his run-in with Heero, and that whatever they had discussed definitely didn't count as Brownie points to the bloodsuckers.  
  
There wasn't going to be a Girl Scouts badge to add to the sash.  
  
Not good.  
  
Not good at all.  
  
He hoped and prayed to any greater being who would listen that nothing happened to Wufei before he was able to talk to him tomorrow night at the 'Chasing the Dragon'.  
  
'I should've never said a word to him, should've just ignored him and kept on walking,' he thought, furious with himself. He still couldn't get Heero from his mind though.  
  
Maybe it was those tight jeans and the leather jacket...Or his intense, chiseled features...But they were supposed to look abnormally gorgeous, Duo reminded himself again. And not for the last time either.  
  
He suddenly realized he had passed the apartment complex two blocks ago and turned around, keeping himself concentrated on his surroundings instead of the conflicting notions in his brain driving him nuts. Standing impatiently in the elevator, Duo struggled to get a grip on himself before he got anywhere near their apartment. The smallest insinuation that something was tormenting him was enough to send Quatre buzzing about trying to figure out what it was and how he could fix it to make it better. As much as he cared about the Arabian, that was the only aspect about him that thoroughly annoyed the hell out of Duo.  
  
And to be frank, his head throbbed, his body ached and stung, his thoughts were insanely rampant and all he wanted to do was go to bed and sleep it off. Not the kind of mood that was up for being pestered with.  
  
Luckily, when Duo got inside, he found the apartment quiet and empty, or at least the living room and kitchen were vacant anyway. Quatre and Trowa had long been in bed and were in utter bliss, for all those right reasons, at the moment. Yes, their bedroom was -definitely- occupied.  
  
So instead of sitting down with the first aid kit and getting himself cleaned up like he should have, Duo just went straight to bed, not even changing out of his clothes or taking his shoes off.  
  
***  
  
"Oh god, Duo you look terrible! Why didn't you come get me or Trowa this morning when you got home?" Quatre demanded, looking concerned.  
  
Clearly getting a cup of coffee before taking a shower wasn't a brilliant idea on Duo's part.  
  
Quatre and Trowa had been sitting together in the living room when he had come out in all his tattered glory, it seemed worse in full daylight. His usual groomed, long plait was an nearly unrecognizable knot, his bangs stuck out in all directions, the white cuffs to his rolled up sleeves were stained with grass and blood and the cuts from the thorns were slightly reddish and puffy from being neglected medical treatment.  
  
"Please don't start, Q-man- Let me get coffee first..." Duo groaned, rubbing his face roughly as he shuffled into the kitchen like a half-dead zombie. He re-entered the living room a few minutes later with a large steaming mug in hand and appearing a bit more awake than he had before.  
  
"I can't believe you went through with your shift like -that-," Quatre continued exasperatingly.  
  
"It's not as bad as it looks! Seriously! I'll take a shower and be perfectly fine," Duo argued, trying in vain to brush his bangs down in a normal position. Unibang Boy was one for gravity defying hair, not him.  
  
Trowa had been attempting to seem concerned for Quatre's sake, but that didn't keep him from snickering every time he glanced at the disheveled Shinigami and earning himself a dark look from his lover. Quatre though, was only using their discourse as a diversion as he tried to discern the strife suppressed underneath Duo's tired demeanor. It was all jumbled together and was going to be completely illegible until Duo was more alert.  
  
"Sure you will. So you're seeing Wufei tonight, aren't you?" Quatre asked, changing the subject.  
  
"Yeah..." He went quiet for a moment then got up from his seat. "Speaking of which, I still haven't found anything yet, so I'm gonna go take that shower now so I can get back to work."  
  
Duo finished his coffee and disappeared into the rear of the apartment again.  
  
"What was that about?" Trowa wondered aloud, staring at the doorway he had gone through.  
  
Quatre didn't answer.  
  
***  
  
Emerging from his room that night, Wufei was surprised to see that Heero had yet to leave. He had waited until an hour after dusk in hopes that he would be gone, usually he was out the second it was dark. There would be no prospect of secrecy then. Damn.  
  
"Going out?"  
  
"Aren't you?" Wufei replied casually, pulling in his trenchcoat.  
  
"Maybe later," Heero shrugged indifferently.  
  
"Too bad, then I'm going to miss out on having the oh-so- inspiring 'you're a pathetic excuse of a vampire' speech from you," he rolled his eyes.  
  
"Well if you insist..."  
  
"I was only being- no, I am -not- going to start that argument again," Wufei shook his head doggedly and opened the front door. "I'll see you later."  
  
Heero smirked to himself as he left, 'Yes you will.' He lingered for only a few minutes before grabbing his jacket and heading out after Wufei.  
  
***  
  
Quatre poked his head into Duo's room and discovered the braided boy poring over one of the many thick, dusty volumes that were scattered around him on his bed. He had been right, once he had had a shower and a change of clothes he looked by far better than he had earlier that day.  
  
"Did you find anything?" Quatre queried, coming in a bit further when Duo glanced up at him.  
  
"Yeah, I was just reading one of the possibilities when you came in."  
  
"So you've got more than one?"  
  
"Yeah," Duo slid off his bed and followed Quatre out into the living room. "The first was killing the sire, but we can't use that because Wufei doesn't have a clue who his attacker was, at least as far as I know because I don't think he mentioned it."  
  
"What's the other?" Trowa asked.  
  
"This is gonna sound really corny...but if the guy can find a 'true love' or whatever and bites the person, then supposedly the love heals the damage," Duo snorted. "Has Walt Disney written all over it. There is a catch though. There can't be any hesitation on either side during the- er- procedure, and it has to be love. Lust doesn't count. If it isn't real, then all that happens is that the person he bites gets turned."  
  
"So it's a sick, twisted version of Walt Disney...That makes it so much more appropriate."  
  
"Don't be too enthusiastic now," Quatre remarked dryly.  
  
"Well, it's the truth," he replied impassively.  
  
"All things considered, it is. I mean what kind of story -isn't- morbid when involving vampires and slayers?" Duo added with a grin. The blonde merely sighed and shook his head.  
  
"But anyways...I don't have time to research for anymore information, I'm gonna take what I have now," he went on, "I told Wufei I would meet him, so I'm just gonna head out and get this over with."  
  
"Are you sure you want to do it by yourself?" asked Quatre worriedly.  
  
"C'mon, I can take care of myself, Q-man," Duo assured. "It'll be quick, I'm just going there and giving him the info. That's all. Then I'll go track you two down so we can get on with our business. If it makes you fell better, I'll leave myself open to you, if I get in any trouble, I can call out."  
  
"Okay..." The empath still looked anxious. He couldn't shake the nasty feeling in the pit of his stomach no matter what he said. Something bad was going to arise from this.  
  
"Great, I'll catch up with you guys later then," Duo grinned and gathered his things from the closet in the hallway as he left.  
  
'Now...that bar almost on the other side of town, so...shortcut...' He kept a close watch out as he made his way down the sidewalk and veered off into the park. Duo wasn't going to use the 'scenic' route this time though, after last night he thought it was better if he avoided that section for a while, the more inhabited path would work plenty well enough.  
  
Though...the main trail seemed deserted. Duo had been expecting to see people, little kids playing out past curfew, some drunken bums, or -anyone- for in that case, but he had been going on at a good pace and hadn't run into a single person. And it was quiet, eerily quiet.  
  
'Oh shut up Maxwell, you're just getting paranoid because Quatre was being neurotic about you winging it alone,' Duo berated in his mind. 'It's all coincidence.'  
  
That was when he sensed it. Them. There were three, no two; he couldn't tell exactly what the third was.  
  
He was surrounded.  
  
And unless they showed themselves Duo could do nothing about it except stand there, rooted to the spot.  
  
***  
  
  
  
I am about to destroy any hope of a heterosexual relationship in this story...*ahem* not giving anything away of course... 


	7. Chapter 7

Gomen ne for taking a bit longer on this chapter, all my free time the past couple of days had been taken up by either babysitting or (like last night) a party. The party was kick ass, and I got a lot of money for the babysitting, so it's all cool. Just a few rabid reviewers to take of though...*sweatdrop*  
  
*ahem* First off...  
  
Xangel: I am thoroughly tickled pink that you're enjoying the evil-ish-ness of my fic and all it's contents, but...Duo is mine!!! At least in my mind and my fics. *sweatdrop* Don't worry, I'll be okay...But anywho...  
  
Yami Crystal: Well, here ya go, there's plenty of 'big stuff' happening in this chapter. ^^ Yaay! This story has been claimed 'Spontaneous Coolness'!  
  
Shella: My coolest reviewer-person ever...I do believe that your wonderful-ness review for the last chapter is the longest you have written for any of my fics yet. *teary eyes* I feel so luffed. I really don't care whether it's 'adieu' or 'ado', I've seen both ways and I'm just sticking with which ever one I happen to type at the time, I tend to switch back and forth between the two spellings. If that makes any sense whatsoever. ^^;;; More Duo-ish mental beating in this chapter, though not as bad as before. And I'm glad you're finding the introspection good, quite frankly, I can't take credit for the scale of greatness you give me, cause I just write what I think and I tend to let my thoughts be written into the characters' thoughts as I go, so it's really all purely accidental. And as for the love triangle...Well expect a few more twists and turns before it even begins to become remotely possible to know who's gonna choose who. *evil grin* And yes it would suck to be an empath, no great-ness surprises. You seem to find all sorts of accidental things puts into my fic! The whole Trowa thing is just kinda...there. I mean, I know he's usually all silent and all, and I do have him that way, but I picture him as a man of pith, even though he may not speak much, when he -does- speak, there is usually purpose and meaning behind it. I just so happen to give him a sense of humor with his way of pith. Like morbid Walt Disney and the whole Unibang Boy/disheveled Shinigami thing. Right to the point and blunt, unlike my authors' notes before the chapters! *sweatdrop* And even though Quatre says it's impossible to turn a pureblood human, you never know...*evil grin* More evil cliffhangers to come! PS: Yes, Heero is deliciously evil.  
  
Mars: You have now become me second coolest reviewer-person ever. ^^;;; Please don't go quitting college or camping out in front of your computer for my little fic! I don't want to be the cause of that! (Don't you just love that Warped Disney though? I think it fits perfectly) And yes, glow sticks kick major ass. *big grin* I luff glow sticks. I luff doing all those trippy hand movements in black light with the glow sticks when at raves or parties. ^^ But yeah, and Trowa and Quatre really can't be all cutesy-mushy-gushy all the time, my hentai mind will -not- allow that. So I use every opportunity I can to slip in all sorts of fun innuendoes. ^^  
  
I do believe I have drawn out these A/N's long enough, ne? *laughs nervously at all the evil glares from reviewers* And I don't think I have to go through all the legal and ratings nonsense...SO! RIGHT! Let's get to the chapter then!  
  
...  
  
Without further -ado-...  
  
...  
  
THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!  
  
  
  
  
  
***  
  
It had all been laid out perfectly.  
  
Heero had changed his intention after the little 'one-on-one' with Duo, rearranging his priorities some. Why not kill two birds with one stone so he wouldn't have to deal with it later?  
  
Half of it he didn't even have to inconvenience himself with, Relena told 'her Heero' that she would take care of everything so it would be less stressful for him. And he yielded, it was better any way, to let her handle the pretty slayer and he wouldn't have to be sorely tempted. It left him free to carefully lay his mind games for the other aspect of his plan.  
  
Wufei.  
  
Heero moved stealthily as his Prussian eyes sharply followed the inky black haired head in the crowd a little ways before him. He didn't have the slightest clue as to where the Asian teen was going, Heero kept more into the downtown area or close to it, but Wufei was slowing making his way towards the more roomy outskirts of the city suburb.  
  
Then he caught sight of the creamy white walls sectioning off the Chinese quarter and paused. Is this where he went when he disappeared? He knew if he ever got caught by a past family member or friend it would raise a hell of a -lot- of questions about his where he had been the past two years, or did it not matter if he was caught? Probably the latter.  
  
Though as Heero thought this, he saw Wufei turned aside and enter a small bar called 'Chasing the Dragon', not going into the district. Okay, so maybe he did understand, but this was still too close for comfort.  
  
Now all Heero had to do was wait patiently for the right time. Then...His plan will commence.  
  
***  
  
Duo's keen gaze darted all about him in the shadows that were slowly beginning to grow, closing him into their darkness in his falter of resolve. He was going nuts trying to figure out where they were, all he knew was that there were three, but their surrounding presence distorted his senses so that he couldn't pinpoint their location.  
  
"What's wrong, pretty boy? You're looking a little nervous..." A feminine voice purred as it brushed passed his right ear. Duo whirled around, icy chills creeping down his spine as he sought the person whom the voice belonged to. There was nothing. Only the shadows.  
  
"Are you scared?..." Another whispered with wicked amusement somewhere to his left, this voice lighter than the first, younger. "Don't worry, pretty, we won't bite..."  
  
"...Hard..."  
  
Okay. Now was the time to panic. Where was the third? And why the hell weren't the stupid vampires showing themselves! This was -really- not cool. He was supposed to be well on his way to 'Chasing the Dragon', not trapped in the middle of the park by three psychotic female bloodsuckers who didn't have anything better to do with their time than hinder him. Unless there was a reason, but who would launch a full-out plan just to get rid of one measly slayer?  
  
He already knew that answer though; it was the same thing that he hadn't been able to banish from his thoughts since the night before.  
  
Duo kept an unreadable expression on his face as the darkness suddenly went deadly silent.  
  
It seemed to last forever, as if time were flying fast outside this black void, though crawling with nerve-racking slowness within as his eyes scanned for the tiniest hint of another being.  
  
'Oooooohh...shit...'  
  
He went stiff as a cold arm wrapped around his throat while the other held an iron grip to his wrist, ready to break bones and rip the limb from its socket if necessary. "Join us for some fun, will you?"  
  
It was the first.  
  
Then a slender girl who appeared no older than himself with short, dark blue hair sauntered out of the gloom with a dark smile. "Play with us," her smile widened into a Cheshire cat grin as she stroked a chilled, pale hand through his bangs and down the side of his face, making him shiver involuntarily under the other's grasp. They laughed and Duo cursed mentally.  
  
'Goddamn it...I hate this...I really, really fucking hate this...'  
  
The third materialized behind the blue-haired girl, and he nearly snickered aloud. She looked no more dangerous than Quatre, though as one always had to consider, appearances can be deceiving.  
  
Now her -voice- on the other hand...  
  
"Don't kill him yet! Let him suffer a little before you do," she said, whether it was supposed to be sarcastic or not couldn't be told, after the first word, you just tune out that horribly high- pitched tone. Not very fear inducing.  
  
Duo couldn't help himself; he loosened up under the frigid grip and openly laughed so hard that tears were about to fall. Another bad idea. Boy did he seem really good at this bad idea thing lately.  
  
The one holding him tightened her hold on his neck, partly choking him in the process and ending the bout of laughter, and his wrist was wretched up behind his back excruciatingly, causing fresh stabs of pain to course through his already injured spine and his arm. Duo clenched his jaw and forced himself to remain silent, to yell out would only delight them.  
  
"You don't take me seriously, do you slayer?" The third said dangerously, or at least tried to, barely masking her anger as the blue-haired girl moved out of her way so she could get up close. "If I wanted, all I have to do is give Sally the word and she can kill you right now. You position isn't exactly in your benefit."  
  
Duo only smirked. "Not like you lot would gain from me being dead anyway, I have to be alive if your gonna suck me dry," he replied shrewdly.  
  
"Who mentioned anything about feeding? We're doing this as a favor, it's all for pleasure, pretty boy," Sally informed amusedly.  
  
He wasn't going to allow this to daunt him. "Well if I'm so 'pretty', then why let beauty go to waste, eh? I'm sure you'd much rather get your fullest satisfaction's worth than just performing some job for a person who probably won't even thank you for it," Duo remarked persuasively, playing on vampires' weaknesses. Beauty and disrespect were two of the very few things that got to their kind and he just take out two in one shot.  
  
There was a silence as the three contemplated his words, Sally even slacken her grasp somewhat. Duo seized the opportunity to discreetly begin to move his unpinned hand towards his holster, if he could only get his itchy, trigger-happy fingers on his gun then he could easily rectify his current not-so-great predicament.  
  
"Oh, c'mon Relena, he'll never have to know..." The blue-haired girl pouted, breaking the quietness, giving in to the braided boy's sly allurement. The blonde now known as Relena seemed doubtful too, but shook her head.  
  
"No Hilde, I made a promise to my Heero and I'm not about to go back on it," she refused, sealing his fate.  
  
Sally suddenly snorted disdainfully. "Heero asked you to do this?" She unwrapped her arm from Duo's throat and he took a deep, grateful breath as she came around beside him, though still keeping her grip on his wrist. "I should've expected this...he's planning something, isn't he?"  
  
It seems Relena had purposely left out a few details to their 'fun' and obviously Sally did -not- like taking orders from people.  
  
"Yes- well, I'm not supposed to tell anyone," she replied, adverting her gaze.  
  
"If I had known I wouldn't have gone along with this."  
  
"Well you -do- owe me a favor, so just consider this as repaying it," Relena said stiffly.  
  
Duo's fingers were now fully clasped onto his gun since the others were so preoccupied with their argument, they didn't even notice. Luckily enough, he had remembered to put his silencer enhancement on back in the apartment.  
  
Hilde suddenly turned to dust and the two stopped bickering for a moment in surprise.  
  
Relena went next.  
  
The suffocating darkness around them dissolved as Sally instantly released Duo's wrist and stepped away, her blue eyes narrowing at him before she disappeared into the shadows.  
  
"Goddamn it," he cursed loudly, rubbing his shoulder and aching back. Now that he was by himself again, he could bitch and moan all he wanted. And bitch and moan he did as he continued his trip through the park until he felt well compensated for his earlier muteness.  
  
Once out of the hellhole, Duo began to wonder. He couldn't remember meeting any vampires named Heero, nor any that held a grudge against him enough to send some people out with only the full intention of killing him.  
  
Checking his watch, Duo almost stumbled over his own feet and blinked bewilderedly. It was already three in the morning. Where had all those hours gone? Bursting into a run, the only thought left in his mind was that he hoped Wufei was still waiting in the bar for him and hadn't given up.  
  
***  
  
  
  
Okay, so I didn't exactly destroy -all- the chances of having a heterosexual relationship in this fic, but there's always the next chapter, so I do believe Sally isn't feeling quite so lucky to be the bearer of bad news...^^;;; But hey! No Relena! *everyone cheers wildly* And no Hilde, not that I had anything against her or anything, because I think she's all right, but she was an obstacle in the way of making a beautiful shounen-ai relationship for meh Duo-channerz. ^^  
  
Now on to work on the next chapter! 


	8. Chapter 8

*singing gleefully* You are gonna haaaate meee...  
  
The theme for this chapter: Disturbed's 'Awaken'  
  
While writing this, I was listening to their -awesome- new CD (yes, a shameless plug-in), and upon listening to 'Awaken', I was inspired and totally re-did the chapter to fit the song. Once you read the lyrics, you'll understand why. *evil grin*  
  
And now for some wonderful-ness reviews...  
  
Dark Peppermint: Here's chapter 8!!! ^^  
  
Virginia: Relena is dead, how can she have a chance with Heero (which will be NEVER as long as -I'm- writing this story...) when she's gone! *cackle*  
  
Yami Crystal: Lol! Of course something big is gonna happen, something big happens in ALL my chapters! ^^ And I have to keep the chapters at a reasonable size, the average being about 4 to 5 pages in Microsoft Word. This one is 5, so it's longer than the last chapter by about half a page or so, if I'm not mistaken...  
  
Mars: Yes, you are now amongst the Elite Cool Reviewer-People. ^^ And Heero is about to become more of a jerk, but don't worry, I don't bastardize him too bad, I give him a good moment. A moment. It'll get better eventually I think. Just depends on how I'm feeling when I write the chapters. And YES!!!! RELENA IS GONE! GONE! *cackle*  
  
Solus Nox: Shounen-ai is definitely worth your while. It's so yummy...*dreamy sigh*  
  
Shella: Whew! I think this review's even longer than the last! And that's saying something cause you're last one was supposed to be the longest one I ever got from you!! Deliciously Evil Heero...yes, more of that in this chapter too...And CLIFFHANGERS! *dun dun dun* Me and my damn clifhangers, eh? You're gonna hate me! I live on suspense! Buwahaha! And yes, being evil is -so- good, I should know, ne? ^^ And! Another Wu- bear fan!! We are amongst the very few, as sad as I am to report this, not very many are Fei fanatics. Be prepared for some beautiful Wu-chan angst.  
  
By now no disclaimers or warnings should be necessary, and I think I've babbled on far enough...so!  
  
ON WITH THE STORY!!!! (No more caffeine for DVG while we're at it too. *sweatdrop*)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
***  
  
Wufei checked the neon clock behind the bar counter again. It was past midnight, he had been sitting at his tucked away table by the window for about three hours now and still no Duo. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, it held fast to the edges of his mind no matter how hard he tried to dismiss it as nothing, rearing its dread-instigating head whenever his thoughts faltered for the briefest second.  
  
'No, don't worry any more about it, everything is -fine-...' Wufei refused, subduing the apprehension. 'He must have meant tomorrow, or he didn't find anything.'  
  
Mostly convinced, he slouched a bit lower into his chair and began to relax, his onyx gaze automatically drifting lazily out the window and resting on the section of wall separating him from his rightful place. Though of course, if all was right in his world, Wufei would be on the other side of that wall and in sleeping in his own bed after an easy day of studying or rigorous martial arts practice. But his world -wasn't- right, his -wasn't- on the other side of that wall where he belonged, he -wasn't- sleeping after a hard day. Chang Wufei was just sitting there in his sheltering corner and blending in with his long black trenchcoat, hiding himself from 'his' world, not worthy enough to belong to that place any more, not with his curse. Unless...  
  
If Duo came, if he had found even the -smallest- chance of savior...There might still be hope.  
  
The door opened and Wufei instantly shot up in his seat to look. It shut, through the heads of the crowd he could discern dark brown hair on the newcomer's head in the dim smoky light, his doubts began to fade. He paused, the other night people had been calling out and making a racket when the braided slayer entered, but no one even blinked an eye this time.  
  
The dark haired head moved over to the bar counter and settled itself on the farthest end away from the rowdy, giddy mass as Wufei stood up to get a better view.  
  
It was Heero.  
  
***  
  
//Stripped of life, alone//  
  
//In the midst of something that//  
  
//I want to play with your evil inside//  
  
//Wanting, letting go of what could never be again//  
  
//Lost and alone//  
  
//Imprisoned now inside your mind//  
  
//With the way you tried//  
  
//To destroy me again//  
  
//You were waiting and living for no one//  
  
//With the way you tried//  
  
//To completely refuse all your life//  
  
//Feed on your nothing//  
  
//You'll never live up to me//  
  
//Awaken you//  
  
//With little evil inside//  
  
//Feed on your nothing//  
  
//You'll never live up to me//  
  
//I've stricken you//  
  
//I want to live with the lie//  
  
//Feed on your nothing//  
  
//And you'll never live up to me//  
  
//Awaken you//  
  
***  
  
Judging the time appropriate, Heero went into 'Chasing the Dragon' after keeping a unseen vigil outside the bar in case one of the girls showed up to report a malfunction in their part. It was nearing towards one in the morning and there had been no Relena or one of the other two, so he continued on as planned, assuming the best.  
  
As soon as he entered, he felt Wufei on the far side of the bar; all his thought seemed bent on the threshold the second the door opened. Heero's suspicions were all but confirmed, but he didn't chance his tactics. He had to remain cool and calculating, there were to be no distractions.  
  
He situated himself inconspicuously on the entirely opposite end from the Chinese vampire and acted as if he were carrying on with his usual business of singling out targets from the alcohol pumped crowd.  
  
As expected, there was soon a soft thud only inhuman ears like theirs could hear as Wufei dropped onto the stool beside Heero, trying his hardest to mask the agitation on his face and in his voice.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"Escaping Relena."  
  
"Oh," Wufei glanced up at the glowing clock above them. "If she was bothering you, why didn't you just go back to the apartment instead of here?"  
  
"What, are you my mother now?" Heero narrowed his cobalt eyes at him. "I don't think so."  
  
"I would have killed myself long ago if that were true," he replied dryly.  
  
"I see somebody's in a foul mood tonight."  
  
"Aren't I always though?" Wufei countered, looking over at the door as it opened, but it was just a group of college students and his struggling expression flashed again as he noted that.  
  
"Who are you waiting for?" Heero asked carefully, sounding only mildly curious.  
  
"Huh- oh, no one," he covered hastily, turning back in his seat. "I'm just feeling a bit edgy."  
  
"If I were trying to set the world record for going the longest without satisfying my hunger, I would be edgy too," he said suggestively, his eyes narrowing further in contempt. "How long as it been this time? Over a month or so, I'm guessing."  
  
"What is it to you? It's my life," Wufei snapped irritably.  
  
"What about that girl over there?" Heero ignored the growl, indicating a girl at a table a little ways from them who was alone. She bore a strong resemblance to the braided slayer, with her long brown hair and slender, black-clad figure, but her eyes were green, not violet.  
  
Wufei's discomfiture was blatantly apparent then as he shifted uneasily, keeping his gaze trained above the girl's head. "No."  
  
Heero shrugged slightly. "Fine, it's your life, right? Keep on attempting to self-destruct." He left the bar counter and headed to the girl's table.  
  
Wufei glowered darkly as he watched them, within minutes Heero was leading her out of 'Chasing the Dragon'. He had been correct though, as much as he hated to admit it, he knew that part of his restlessness wasn't because Duo hadn't arrived yet. It was from his deprivation and the boisterous crowd surrounding him wasn't helping any, only piquing the extremely suppressed animalistic instincts as he sat there. It drove his -very- worn patience to its maximum.  
  
He was -not- going to give in though, no matter how difficult it got. He couldn't, not until he knew if there was a chance...  
  
But even as he regarded that, Wufei found himself getting up from the stool and following the two outside, the neon clock reading quarter till three. Their bobbing shadows stretched out onto the pavement from the alleyway a few feet away and he went after the retreating forms. The forcibly quelled pain inside broke from its restraints and wracked his body, his senses beginning to spiral out of control.  
  
Wufei could feel his face twisting, his human facade contorting into the ugly, grotesque damnation that consumed him internally, the thing he fought with all the time to keep hidden. He clenched his jaw tightly, the metallic taste of blood trickling into his mouth as his canines elongated, starting to pierce the tip of his tongue painfully.  
  
Heero and the girl were now straight ahead, half shrouded in the gloom.  
  
'Maybe only a little- No!! I cannot give in to this curse! It cannot defeat me; it will only make me as vile as them...' Wufei stumbled, gripping his fingers through his hair so hard that it fell from its ponytail like streams of black ink.  
  
A pair of hands took him by the shoulders roughly and pulled him back up into a standing position, his haunted, red tinged onyx gaze meeting intense Prussian.  
  
"Wufei, you're a mess- please, just let it go," Heero said quietly, not blinking as he stared into those tortured eyes, his own emotions unreadable as always. "...Just let it go..."  
  
//Awaken you//  
  
//With little evil inside//  
  
//I've stricken you//  
  
//There isn't a thing that I can do//  
  
//Watching the whole thing just wash away//  
  
//Making me long//  
  
//Making you strong//  
  
"I- I can't-" Wufei recoiled, his shoulders quivering under his touch as he barely held himself together. Heero didn't know whether to be frustrated with his idiocy or to be in awe of his will to maintain morality despite what toll it may take on his own survival.  
  
"Wufei-" He began tentatively, but the Chinese vampire shook his head, refusing to listen any more.  
  
"NO!" Wufei jerked out of Heero's grasp and staggered back up the alley the way he had entered, running blindly through the thinning amounts of pedestrians on the sidewalk. He didn't care where his feet led him, away from people, from the enticement that provoked his raging untamed senses. But with his head ducked down out of sight in shame as he fled, Wufei didn't see the amethyst-eyed slayer walking right in his path until they collided.  
  
"Hey- Wufei? Oi! Where are you going?!" Duo spun around in a daze as the trenchcoat-clad body vanished into the throng again before he could follow or get a full view. "This is -really- not my night...What in the fuck is going on here!"  
  
"It would seem that he is running."  
  
Duo turned back to the monotone voice and scowled angrily at the Japanese vampire that had appeared in the wake of their collision. "You! What the hell did you do to him?!"  
  
Heero looked mildly affronted. "I don't know what you're talking about. I was merely trying to help and he ran away," he said flatly, shrugging slightly. 'Where are the others? Why is the slayer still alive?'  
  
"Help with what?"  
  
"Is this Twenty Questions? Besides, it's none of your damn business anyway, so why does it matter?" Heero replied evenly, his expression irritated on the outside, though within, he found that the slayer's anger-fueled power was really quite appealing.  
  
Duo was burning with fury by then, but before he could lash out, a tall blonde materialized out of the shadows beside them.  
  
"Heero! We've got...a problem..." Sally's blue eyes went wide at the sight of her braided target towering with rage in front of her. "Oh my..."  
  
"I realized that," he said tersely.  
  
Things were definitely going to be interesting...  
  
***  
  
  
  
*hides* EEP! Please don't kill me...o.O;;; It will get better- er- eventually...Oh the angst floods are getting ready to pour...I can feel it! *dun dun dun*  
  
*scampers off to drink more caffeine and begin writing the next chapter* 


	9. Chapter 9

Weeee! Another chapter! Be prepared to be blown away! Buwahaha...  
  
I was in a very angsty mood the past couple of days while writing this chapter, so be ready to have your minds boggled! Indeed, I think I even surprised myself while writing this. Angst, angst, angst, and more angst! Oh how I love angst...  
  
But yes! To the reviews!  
  
Solus Nox: Yep, Sally's a bit late. And yes, when someone tells me not to do something, that's just an open invitation to do it! *evil grin* Shounen-ai forever! (I am such a hentai)  
  
Hybrid Fairy: Don't worry, I think I scare myself more than any of my reviewers can! (Read one of my other two fics, the 'Sleepless Musings' are nothing but pure insanity) I'm glad you're enjoying this!  
  
Fei and White Rose: WUFEI LOVERS UNITE! Yaay! *ahem* I'm okay...really...But yes, don't worry, there's plenty more angst and conflict in this chapter! All Heero and Duo, or Heero and Wufei! *Quatre and Trowa are impatiently waiting for me to bring them back into the story* And don't worry, my muses are plentiful with ideas, so there's no way in hell I'm ever gonna lose track with this fic! *Hopefully, I didn't just jinx myself* Glad you're liking my little mindless dribble of a story!  
  
( : Smiley-person, I have gotten -much- worse threats than that. *sweatdrop* So I'm used to that sorta thing! And please don't kill Wufei, for I will need him for much gratuitous angst in this story!  
  
Mars: My other coolest reviewer-person!! Yes! Another cliffhanger! Luckily, this chapter's cliffhanger is not nearly so bad! ^^;;; And there's Wufei angst galore! Yup, yup...I think tissues are needed to be handed out...Nah, just kidding. Not that bad yet! And you are gonna be wanting Duo to do a lot more then just kicking Heero in the shins in a moment...*cough* Me, give anything away? Noooo...  
  
Must I really go through the torture of disclaimers and warnings? I KNOW I DON'T OWN GUNDAM WING! Grrr...But I do own the lovely models on top of my dresser! And all the DVDs! And Endless Waltz! Buwhahaha...  
  
Oh yeah, and I bastardize Heero. I didn't mean to, but I was just in an angst-y, vindictive mood when writing this, so he turned out to be an asshole. Gomen nasai Heero! I still love you, I promise!!  
  
But I do give him some Brownie points at the end...Er...Damn it! You didn't hear that!  
  
*sweatdrop*  
  
I'm a perfectly normal human being...  
  
Sure...  
  
Let's just continue with the fic, ne?  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
***  
  
Wufei's feet had managed to carry him all the way back to the basement apartment and into his bedroom. He didn't know how he had accomplished that feat, but he did, and now he was in the safety of his concrete haven with his door locked to the world outside.  
  
His mind was reeling so much so that the room seemed to be spinning as he finally collapsed onto the hard floor, curling up into a fetal position with his arms wrapped rigidly around himself. He had never lost control like this, never in the entire past two years. He had always been able to hold out until he knew he could go no further, but tonight...What happened? What was so different this time that he just lost it like he did?  
  
Long strands of unfastened ebony hair concealed his agony wrenched features as Wufei struggled to retain a grip on his unbridled senses. His eyes burned as he kept them squeezed shut, warm moisture threatening to stream down his cheeks and show his weakness if he opened them.  
  
Why did this happen? Why tonight?  
  
He had heard Duo's shouts as he bolted from the alleyway to the sidewalk, he had come and probably even had the information Wufei so desperately wanted to know. But he couldn't face him, not like this, looking like the disgusting creature that the slayer was sworn to kill.  
  
What did he ever do to deserve this?  
  
Wufei tightened his wrapped arms about himself as new white-hot knives of pain shot through his body; the salty tears starting to slip out from in between shut eyelids.  
  
He had, for the first time, failed to resist the temptation, instead letting himself be overcome by the repulsive demon just because of what Heero had said to him. He knew by now the right buttons to push, Wufei had to admit to himself that he openly walked right into -that- mistake the moment he went to talk to Heero at the bar. He should have just ignored him, but no, if Heero had seen him with Duo, then it would spark questions...  
  
Questions that he wouldn't be able to give the correct answers to.  
  
***  
  
"Well doesn't this situation keep getting better and better?" Duo said, the dangerously calm tone in his voice unnerving as he narrowed his blazing amethyst glaze on the two in front of him. "It all makes perfect sense now, I don't see why I didn't catch on sooner..."  
  
Sally looked thoroughly petrified as Duo pulled out his gun and aimed it at her and Heero, who remained stoic.  
  
"After our little 'discussion', I should've realized it, ne -Heero-? I was too worried about what was going to happen to W...him, I didn't see the bigger picture. At least not until your -adoring- followers delayed me back there in the park. But since you obviously know the outcome of that part of your plan, I guess there's no use for blondie, now is there?" Duo's placid expression broke into a wicked grin as Sally crumpled to dust without a sound, leaving only the two of them. "So, what -did- you do to Wufei?"  
  
Heero glared darkly at the nearly maniacal slayer. "I told you I didn't do anything."  
  
"Bullshit."  
  
"Don't believe me then. It was all his fault to begin with, I merely gave him a push in the right direction."  
  
"You played with Wufei's pride, like the sick bastard you are," Duo growled. "You can't stand the fact that one of your own kind sees the truth, that you're all nothing but disgusting, cold- hearted murderers."  
  
"Like you aren't," Heero replied icily.  
  
"No, I'm not. Unlike you, I kill to protect people, humanity as whole. Not for some twisted version of entertainment or satisfaction!" he shot back furiously. He didn't see the punch come until he slammed into the brick wall behind him. Duo spat blood from his mouth as he climbed to his feet, gingerly touching the swelling knot forming on his cheek. His gun had clattered off into the darkness surrounding them.  
  
"Keep on bouncing back, slayer. It will only cause you more pain," Heero said with a slight smirk.  
  
"Tch, in your dreams Fang Boy," Duo charged and decked him clean across the side of his face with his fist to even the score, only to be thrown back into the wall again with a cheap shot to the ribcage.  
  
The second get up was slower; he wavered momentarily on his knees, wheezing and coughing, trying to catch his breath. But he wasn't swayed; this was only a small technicality, once he could breathe properly then everything would be good to go.  
  
Duo glowered fiercely at Heero. He just stood there with that stupid arrogant sneer barely turning up his lips, not the least fazed by his blow, which pissed him all the more off. There wasn't even a scratch!  
  
"You're absolutely livid now, aren't you slayer?" Heero asked amusedly, reaching out and holding him by his chin. "You see, if you were to kill me right here and now, then it wouldn't be about your 'protecting humanity' or your 'sworn duty' any more, you would be exactly like me...Out for blood, not moral purpose."  
  
Duo was completely still under his grasp, his expression not betraying any emotion that may have been running through his head at that statement as he kept a steady gaze focused over his shoulder. This only seemed to please Heero more though.  
  
"You want to so bad...I know you do, I can see it in your eyes," he continued, lowering his voice to almost a whisper. "Your gun is just over there, why don't you go get it? I won't run." Heero let go of Duo's chin roughly and stood patiently with his arms folded over his chest as he watched him walk cautiously over and pick up the gun.  
  
Upon returning, Duo looked at Heero and smirked, cocking the trigger lock back as he aimed. "You were true when you said if I killed you now, it would only be for revenge..." he began slowly. "But you forget one thing-" He removed his thumb from the trigger lock and tucked his gun into his holster. "-I am NOT like you. Even when it comes to revenge, I have morals. I won't kill you...But, if there just so happens to be an 'accident', then I won't deny that I'll be content with the fact."  
  
Heero was blown away as Duo grinned and left him alone in the entrance of the alley. Did he just get played in his own mind game? And by a slayer, no less!  
  
No, he should have been enraged and fallen for it, but he didn't! Obviously, he learned from his mistakes the first time through.  
  
'I can't do anything in the meantime, it's too close to dawn,' Heero thought, annoyed, as he checked his watch. With a scowl, he disappeared into the shadows and reemerged outside his apartment building an instant later. Walking downstairs in the basement, he noticed the door to the apartment was ajar and in further inspection, there was a hole in the wall the size of the knob from the door being thrust open hard.  
  
The apartment was quiet however; Heero couldn't hear a single thing as he carefully shut the door behind him.  
  
"Wufei?" He tried the handle on his door. It was locked. "Wufei! Come out here!"  
  
More silence. Then there was a stifled noise from inside.  
  
"Wufei?" Heero called again hesitantly, attempting to figure out what he was doing.  
  
There it was again. It seemed as if he were...  
  
Crying?  
  
It couldn't be. Why would he be doing something as pathetic as that?  
  
But if it really were so, then what was this twinge in his mind? Guilt? Heero had only nudged at something that was already about to burst, so why would -he- be feeling guilty? It was Wufei's fault for trying to be Mr. I'm-Better-Than-You-Are and refuse to acknowledge the reality of his life.  
  
Still, Heero frowned and rapped his knuckles lightly on the Asian vampire's door.  
  
"Are you all right in there?" The words escaped from his mouth before he could stop them. Was he actually sounding like he was concerned?  
  
There was no response.  
  
Irritated, Heero knocked harder. "Come on, unlock the door at least. I know you're in there so don't act like you don't hear me."  
  
As he was about to give up and go into his own room, Wufei's exhausted, hoarse voice filtered through softly.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Why what?"  
  
"Why does it matter so much to you what I do?"  
  
Heero pursed his lips, disgruntled. Quite frankly, he really didn't know why. Usually he left him to be alone and went on with his own business. "Just- never mind, don't worry about it."  
  
The doorknob clicked and twisted under his hand, making Heero step back.  
  
Wufei mustered up a half-hearted pissed off glare as he opened the door and leaned against the frame tiredly, his arms crossed. He knew he looked like shit (who wouldn't after a night like he had had?), with his hair down in a mess, pale, fatigue-pinched face and more likely than not bloodshot eyes, but he clearly didn't care by then.  
  
"You didn't answer my question," Wufei stated quietly.  
  
"Hn."  
  
"Weren't you the one who said that it was my life? So what if I choose to self-destruct, it's not your problem, now is it?"  
  
Heero snorted. "You didn't have to follow. I had nothing to do with that, you did it all on your own."  
  
"You're right," Wufei cleared his throat roughly, uncrossing his arms and rubbing his face to keep from meeting his narrowed gaze. "I had a moment of weakness, but it won't happen again. Now unless you have something important to say, then I'm going to bed."  
  
He pushed himself from the threshold and shut the door again.  
  
"Baka..." Heero muttered, shaking his head. His earlier indecision had been resolved.  
  
Even though he still couldn't see why a person would put himself through so much torture just to preserve morality at the possible expense of his life. He had to concede to the fact that he must truly be strong inside despite his ridiculous beliefs, or he would have never have had the strength to conquer something that Heero thought was second nature.  
  
*** 


	10. Chapter 10

Woohooo! Another day, another chapter! Heh. And I bring poor Quatre and Trowa back into the story! Poor guys had been left out now for a good two or three chapters, so I'm trying to compensate. ^^;; Speaking of Quatre and Trowa, does anyone know where I can find some good 3x4 pictures? Either Doushinji or fan art, it doesn't really matter. Arigatou!  
  
You all are gonna hate me for this chapter. *victory sign* Please keep the death threats to a bare minimum and the author will be most happy. Of course, she'll probably get more of a kick -with- the threats...  
  
Shella: YAAY! You can't be kicked from the computer again! I actually look forward to your long reviews, they make me happy to see somebody enjoying my story so much. ^^ But yes, Heero's been a bit narrow-minded, but he's finally realized the truth. And giving him a good hard fuck would only please him, I think we should stick with the frying pan idea from Mars...lol! And, I've draw pictures of Wuffie-chan with his hair down. *dreamy sigh* And there's doushinjis too, I have a website saved that has pictures of Wufei with his hair down. Of course, most of them are with him and Duo in compromising positions...so...*cough* yeah. I think him and Duo are equally sexy. I'm a sucker for guys with long hair, and they both fit that. ^^ Get ready to see some interesting plot twists involving Heero, Duo and Wufei in this chapter...*ahem*  
  
Mars: Lol, it's okay, going to class is much more important then reading my insane ramblings I try to pass as stories. ^^;;; And Poor Wu-chan won't be getting a teddy bear or a hug in the near future (meaning this and the next chapter), but he will eventually! I think Duo will be the one needing a teddy bear after this chapter...And Heero will get his comeuppance for being a complete bastard. ^^ Whether it's from a flying frying pan or not, he -will- get punished. *wink wink*  
  
( : Well, your little review name is a smiley face, so I just called you smiley face-person. ^^;;  
  
And to everyone else who reviewed: Arigatou!! I'm glad you're enjoying my story!! *hands out pocky and plushies*  
  
Insert stupid disclaimers, warnings, and any other pointless thing you should already know by now in here. *sweatdrop*  
  
Now on with the chapter!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
***  
  
Quatre toyed nervously with the cuff of Trowa's teal turtleneck shirtsleeve as they sat together in the loveseat. "Do you think- "  
  
"I'm sure Duo is -fine-," Trowa repeated for what must have been the millionth time since they came to the conclusion that the braided boy wasn't showing for their rendezvous that night. He squeezed his arm tighter around the blonde's shoulders in reassurance and he quit plucking at the sleeve, easing his head down on the crook of Trowa's neck with his anxious aquamarine gaze off in space.  
  
Suddenly the tension-thick silence was punctured by the faint shouts of furious curses and Quatre went tense again, yet for a different reason.  
  
"Oh Allah...He is MAD..." he whispered fearfully, as if he said it too loud that it would only make it worse. Trowa could have sworn he felt the floor shaking underneath their chair from the stomping outside; but of course, it could also be the empath, who was trembling somewhat under his touch. Duo pissed off and bored as hell was one thing, though when in a rage...It was either run and hide or be blown away in the wake of the explosion.  
  
The door blasted open wildly, lodging itself in the wall as a black-clad whirlwind swept in menacingly, its long chestnut braid snapping like a whip behind it along with strings of foul language.  
  
Quatre squeaked. Yes, squeaked. [1]  
  
It wasn't so much about the immense fury emanating from Duo as he hurled his things into the closet with all the strength his could muster, having not seen the two sitting there in the living room, but the extremity of his swearing permanently violating his poor virgin ears. (Yeah, virgin...riiiiiiight...you keep telling yourself that Q-man...)  
  
"-take that god damn fucking bastard by the fucking balls and screw-"  
  
Trowa coughed loudly before Duo could finish that particular threat, making the braided boy aware that he wasn't alone in the room. "It seems you had a pleasant night."  
  
He turned around abruptly, taking in Trowa's amused half-smirk and Quatre's disturbed countenance of shock and clapped a hand over his mouth a little too late, the damage had already been done.  
  
"Scared the shit out of me...geez..."  
  
"Scared the shit of out -you-? I don't think I'm going to be able to go to sleep with that lovely description of what you wanted to do to some guy's genitals!"  
  
"Well I'm sorry Quatre, I should've realized you two were in here," Duo apologized cynically. "But quite frankly, I was just a -little- ticked off when I came in."  
  
Trowa shot him a dark look, but instead of being intimidated and apologizing correctly, he was so infuriated that he glared right back.  
  
"So are you going to indulge us with all the gory details, or shall we just wait with bated breath until you've cooled down?" Quatre replied dryly, knowing he didn't really mean to be rude. "I would especially like to learn the origins of that charming bruise on your face."  
  
"I'm sorry," Duo repeated, though with more sincerity than before as he slumped down into the nearest armchair, gingerly rubbing the swollen cheek. Now that he regaining control over his temper, the pain returned with a sharp increase. "It's just been nuts. Literally. It started with psycho females and ended with that..." His violet eyes flashed angrily and he clenched his hands. "Bastard."  
  
"Ah, and this 'bastard' is who you were...ranting about when you impaled the defenseless door and hall closet?" Trowa asked mildly, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"I take it you weren't able to see Wufei then," Quatre added cautiously.  
  
"Oh I did, for all of five seconds when he was hauling ass from that bastard, and yes that was who I was- er- wanting to do things to," Duo bit his tongue to hold the renewed tirade building up back for his innocent buddy's sake.  
  
"What happened?" Quatre inquired worriedly. The seething he felt radiating from him was beginning to mingle with other emotions, though they weren't quite recognizable yet.  
  
He half scowled half winced, massaging his face again. "Heero is what happened! The bastard!"  
  
"Heero?"  
  
Duo launched into the full, detailed story, picking up from the point that they already knew about when he had first encountered Wufei. He went on about the conversation with Heero where he practically gave everything away to the little ambush with Relena, Sally, and Hilde, and what had transpired outside the bar when he had gotten out of the park.  
  
"That answers your question about the 'charming' bruise, Quatre," Duo said as the scowl that had returned as he retold the past couple of days' events went deeper. "So now I have no clue what to do. I don't know when I might run into Wufei next, and I sure as hell won't just walk away if I confront Heero again like I did earlier."  
  
Quatre sat quietly, appearing lost in thought as he watched the braided slayer talk, the conflicting emotions he had been feeling becoming clearer and clearer as the anger integrated further. There were of course the physical aches and pains, but there was also a sort of mental pain, of knowing that there was someone in need, but he could do nothing about it. There was the disappointment and hurt of getting to see that person he was trying so hard to help, but because of the timing from being hindered, he had come too late to do anything.  
  
"You can't just sit around and wait in that bar forever Duo," Trowa replied, bringing Quatre out of his musing. "You have duties to fulfill as well, don't forget."  
  
"I haven't," he rolled his eyes. "I only want to be out of this mess, but every damn time I turn around, there's something else popping up and keeping me from doing that."  
  
"It's your own fault for getting involved in the first place."  
  
"No shit Sherlock," Duo grumbled crossly, earning himself a pillow to the head.  
  
"Be nice, -both- of you!" Quatre reprimanded sternly, glaring back and forth between the two.  
  
Duo let out an exasperated sigh as he got up and stalked out of the living, muttering about getting some sleep.  
  
"Wait- Duo! Damn...he won't listen, he's too mad at the world," he frowned. "You could have been a bit more nicer about this though Trowa."  
  
"I'm sorry, but the truth hurts," the unibanged boy shrugged. "There's no use sugar-coating it."  
  
"-Still-, you should have waited until after he had cooled down," Quatre chided.  
  
Trowa snorted and didn't respond.  
  
"Why do I put up with such stubborn people?" The empath looked up at the ceiling as if he were conversing with Allah, though with a playful smirk.  
  
"You know you love me."  
  
"Of course."  
  
***  
  
"...Duo..."  
  
"Who's there?"  
  
Duo found himself standing in the park again, darkness swallowing everything about him. The scene was all too familiar, but this go-round there weren't three psychotic chicks. He held a stake clutched in his right hand as he slowly revolved on the spot, trying to figure where and of whom the disembodied voice was coming from.  
  
"Damn it, stop fucking around! Where in the hell are you?" Even though he was beginning to feel panicky, he had actually managed to make that sound like a half-decent yell. He had been in this predicament one too many times for him to be remotely at ease.  
  
"...right behind you..."  
  
Duo turned, chills running down his spine, and came face-to-face with Heero.  
  
Heero?  
  
He couldn't move, couldn't open his mouth to say anything, barely able to breathe. All he could do was stare into those intense Prussian depths, frozen in place.  
  
"I've got you now, slayer...You're mine..." Heero whispered into his ear, sending more icy chills prickling through him as he leaned in closer.  
  
As he kissed him, anger flared up inside Duo and he fought mentally to overthrow the induced lethargy holding him still.  
  
'Wait for it.'  
  
His eyes shut and he started to feel heavy as he stopped fighting off the spell, waiting for the moment of weakness...getting heavier and heavier until...there was nothing.  
  
Duo swung his arm up and thrust the stake into Heero's heart, pulling away from the kiss as he reopened his eyes.  
  
Only it wasn't Heero.  
  
Oh God, it wasn't Heero.  
  
Wufei was the one staring back in shock before he crumbled into dust.  
  
And Duo just killed him.  
  
***  
  
  
  
EEEEPPPP! *hides*  
  
[1]Yes, squeaked. I was thinking along the lines of what every girl does when they see Legolas in Lord Of The Rings. ^^ Or at least what -I- do every time I see Legolas. No one wants to watch LOTR with me because I emit high-pitched squeals of delight. *sweatdrop* Except of course, Quatre's was in fear, not in seeing one of the sexiest men alive in tights. *hentai thoughts*  
  
Anywho! On to work on the next chapter! And I promise I'll get it up faster than this one! 


	11. Chapter 11

ACK! Gomen nasai! *bows multiple times* I am so sorry! I know I had promised to get this chapter out sooner, but quite frankly, I was having some personal issues and a lot of crap going on with school and crap. Yes, excuses, excuses...but still. I haven't had time to just sit and write. So much stress and very little stress tolerance does NOT mix. Please forgive the DVG.  
  
And as for the reviews now that I've finished my bitching and whining...  
  
Avenged Suffering: *sweatdrop* It's gonna be all right there...*pat pat*  
  
Lady Rune: Lol. Don't worry, there will be nakedness. Lots. There always is when it comes to me and my hentai thoughts. Just keep on reading. ^.~  
  
Lexington: o0;;; Breathe! Here's the next chapter!  
  
Hybrid Fairy: Me? A common trollop? I do believe that's the first time I've ever been called a common trollop. Woo hoo. Kudos to me. I'm a trollop. See? Humor! So don't cry! *sweatdrop* Next chapter! See? *points*  
  
Smiley-person: *confusion settles heavily* Kill Heero? I think you misread the dream sequence. Duo was -trying- to kill him, but Heero turned into Wufei. So technically...He killed Wufei. Not Heero. But yeah...*ahem*  
  
Mars: First and foremost- I bow to you. I grovel at your feet. That website was pure heaven. *glomp* I LOVE YOU! That website is beautiful! *tearful sigh* Now- Please don't cry!!!! I am not good when it comes to crying people! *nervous* Here's the next chapter, so please don't cry!  
  
And last, but certainly not the least in my favorite reviewers...  
  
SHELLA!: Holy Sweet Jesus. Yes I definitely believe that is the longest (and most emotional) post I've gotten from you yet. o.O;;; I appreciate you bunches and bunches! That is why you are my first-ness coolest reviewer-person!! ^^ And I'm not gonna say anything about Orlando Bloom...*squeak* Oh yesh, and thinking of Wufei and Duo getting down to business...*glazed look comes over her face as she retreats into her hentai mind for a moment* Eh? What? Oh yeah...Now about the websites...Er...I'll have them by next chapter, promise! I swear I thought I had bookmarked the addresses, but when I went to check, all I found was my 1x2x1 sites and the loverly 3x4/4x3 site Mars gave me. So I swear by all things 2x5 holy, I'll get those sites up in the next chapter's Author Notes! And...You really think my 3+4 scenes are good? I try. ^^;;; I'm trying to go more in depth with them, since in my past two stories they didn't get much attention. Poor Quatre and Trowa. One day I'll dedicate a fic just for them. Eventually. This chapter nearly came out entirely dark and angst-y, but I decided to let Wufei and Heero have some more picking at each other. I dunno, I just seem to see nothing but sarcasm between them whenever I try to write a scene with them interacting. It just works. I dunno. I'm babbling. And yes, the evil bit was all a dream. *sweatdrop* It's gonna be all right...For now...*evil grin* Wow, we're both setting records here! I think this is the longest review reply I've ever written!  
  
Screw the disclaimers and warnings, if you're coming late into the game plan, then tough luck. That's your own problem, not mine. So nyah.  
  
And now for the looooooooong delayed chapter that everyone's been -dying- to read! (Haha, yeah right. One's ego can hope, eh?)  
  
Read! Read and be...er...pissed off at the author again? *blink blink*  
  
  
  
  
  
***  
  
Wufei bolted upright in his bed, cold sweat drenching his body as he gasped for air.  
  
It had seemed so real, the nightmare. He could almost still feel the pain through his heart where the stake had penetrated.  
  
'Maybe going to him was a bad idea,' Wufei thought regretfully, running a hand through his damp hair. 'This is only making things worse.'  
  
Why he had dreamed that Heero was kissing Duo was beyond his comprehension, as far as he knew, the two had never seen each other except for that brief instant outside the 'Oasis'. But to have himself ending up Heero's place and getting killed...It had to be a sign.  
  
Pulling off his wet tank top, Wufei considered the past couple of days. Everything had been turned upside down by just one moment under the moonlight in the alley. Beginning with Heero's suddenly suspicious behavior towards him, the whole new situation with the slayers, and ending with last night's little weakness 'attack', the only good thing that had come from him approaching Duo was the braided boy himself and the fact that there -may- be a chance out of eternal damnation.  
  
If only he knew the whole truth behind it all.  
  
'Perhaps he's right...' Wufei's train of thought ended abruptly as he heard footsteps out in the living room. It appeared that he wasn't the only one having difficulty sleeping.  
  
***  
  
Cold hands gripping his bare shoulders brought Duo instantly out of his troubled slumber with a sharp hiss of inhalation.  
  
"Wake up!" It was Quatre.  
  
His aquamarine eyes were full of worry and his expression furrowed in deep concern as he released his hold. Duo shook off the leftover chill and sat up carefully, if the empath hadn't woken him up, he would have fallen right over onto the floor in his tightly wrapped cocoon of bed linens. Beads of perspiration collected along his brow were wiped away as he rubbed his face and heaved a tired sigh.  
  
"What were you dreaming about? Trowa and I could hear you thrashing and calling out all the way down the hall in our room." Quatre reached out to touch him again, but he shied away.  
  
"I- it was nothing," Duo lied lamely, staring down at his fingers as they fell into their usual habit of playing with the end of his braid whenever he was nervous.  
  
"If it were nothing, then why are you so upset?" Quatre replied intently, taking in all his fidgeting give-aways and the almost suffocating wave of unease and anxiety that filled his aura. He had refrained from looking into the dream himself when arousing him out of respect for privacy, and that he would open up on his own without having to be pried into.  
  
Duo kept quiet for a moment, but knowing the blonde wasn't going anywhere until he had an explanation; he bit his lower lip. "...I killed him Quatre. In the nightmare."  
  
"Wufei?" he asked, startled.  
  
He nodded mutely, still keeping his gaze fixed on his fingers, which had moved on to wringing the hem of his black muscle shirt. "B-but I didn't do it on purpose, it was supposed to be Heero...yet when I- I looked, he had turned into Wufei. A-and I couldn't do anything to stop it once I realized what had happened- then you woke me up."  
  
Quatre tentatively put a hand on the distraught boy's shoulder, but this time he did not flinch away, so he pulled him into a full comforting embrace. Which was something, since the empath was prone to completely absorbing such raw emotions as Duo's in unblocked contact. "It wasn't real though, it was just as you said it was. Only a nightmare. Everything is fine..."  
  
"It felt so real-" Duo shivered involuntarily, even though the blonde was radiating warmth in the hug. Out of nowhere, the image of Heero kissing him surfaced in his mind and he suddenly jerked back, shaking his head hard to make the picture go away.  
  
Somewhat caught off guard by the abrupt movement, Quatre studied him briefly, but he had closed himself up once more to him and it was better not to try and push it any further, it would only make things worse. "It's going to fine, Duo. Trust me," he smiled pleasantly, getting up from the edge of his bed. "Why don't you try and get back to sleep? We've still got a few hours before duty calls."  
  
Duo nodded again silently as he left, untangling himself from the blankets and getting readjusted, but he was too awake by then and going to sleep was the last thing in his thoughts.  
  
***  
  
Running his hand through his damp hair a second time, Wufei slid out of his bed and crept soundlessly to the door, peering out into the living room.  
  
Heero was slouched down on the farthest end of the couch, his elbows propped on his knees while his chin rested on top of his laced fingers, his expression concentrated yet trance-like, as if he were off in some other realm.  
  
Slipping into the room, Wufei noticed a half-healed bruise on his left cheek that he hadn't seen earlier when he was too exhausted to care about anything except for the security of his own bed. Obviously, whatever Heero was doing at the moment radically slowed the normally automatic healing process vampires possessed.  
  
"What are you doing?" Wufei asked, inching towards the inert Japanese vampire cautiously. There wasn't even the slightest muscle twinge that indicated any sign of acknowledgment; he merely sat there like a statue off wherever his mental deliberation was focused on.  
  
"Hello? Heero?" He now stood over him, starting to feel unsettled by the lack of responsiveness.  
  
There was still nothing.  
  
Just as Wufei was tempted to smack him in the back of his head and return to bed, Heero appeared to be slowly coming to his senses, the glazed look ebbing away to alertness.  
  
"...what are you doing out here?"  
  
"Well aren't you the quick one today? I've only been standing here for the past five minutes trying to get your attention," Wufei answered cynically, narrowing his onyx gaze.  
  
Not a single trace of the unwelcome apprehension remained from before. Go him.  
  
"Hn."  
  
His irritated stare was met by Heero's incomparable glare that promised great pain and death if provoked. It did not intimidate Wufei at all, being one who had been met with this glare enough times to know when he would seriously kill him or not, so being him, he decided to provoke his highly dangerous roommate.  
  
"So what -were- you doing? You seemed pretty engrossed in whatever little world you were lost in," Wufei prodded with a trace of his usual smugness. Somewhere deep in his subconscious, his brain began to wonder if he was turning suicidal with his sudden, impulsive urge to aggravate the hell out of Heero.  
  
Fortunately, all the lovely grotesque images that the little pondering voice in his psyche was expecting to follow his comment didn't take place. For now. But the utterly unexpected -did- happen.  
  
Heero just smirked. Smirked. "And you don't seem to notice the fact that you've been 'standing there for the past five minutes' completely shirtless."  
  
Touché.  
  
A light pink tinge spread over Wufei's face, but he didn't falter. "So? I was hot." That was it, he didn't care to divulge into the reasoning behind why he was, what was he supposed to say? 'I had a nightmare and woke up drenched in sweat'? Yeah, sure...If he wanted to sound like a goddamn five-year-old who thought he saw the bogeyman in his closet.  
  
Not.  
  
"Hn...Hot, eh?" Another smirk. Boy was this going to get dirty. And very soon. "You should walk around shirtless more often."  
  
"W-what?!" There was no stopping the stammer this time and the pink was an all out tomato red now.  
  
The diversionary tactic had performed flawlessly, with one simple remark Heero had discreetly turned their bantering to work in his favor. "You heard me."  
  
"I wish I hadn't." Wufei could practically feel the heat from his blushing raising the room temperature by ten degrees.  
  
"Oh really?" Heero raised his eyebrows in amusement, not taking his watchful eyes off of the Chinese teen. "You make the complement sound like a bad thing."  
  
"Coming from you it is." Wufei was caught off guard when his features abruptly changed to suspicious and annoyed again the second he said that.  
  
"So who -would- it sound better from?" The inquiry was supposed to come off as playfully hurt, but it just didn't work. Even under the false easiness every syllable was dripping with mistrustful insinuations.  
  
The first person that popped up in his head was the absolute -last- to say aloud. Unless he wanted that 'Do not pass Go and do not collect two hundred dollars' card along with a permanent resting place in a coffin.  
  
Wufei wouldn't reply. He always had all the wrong answers at the wrong times. Lovely. So he simply won't respond to the question.  
  
"I'm getting tired of this game," he snorted, crossing his arms and adverting his gaze. "Come and get me when it's time to go out." With that, he whirled around on his heel and walked briskly back into his bedroom.  
  
Now was Heero's turn to smile smugly, even though Wufei couldn't see it, it was there. He had nearly given himself away, if he had pushed him a bit farther, he would have slipped up. But he could wait.  
  
Besides, their arguments were fun and he didn't want to ruin the fun while it still lasted.  
  
***  
  
Yes! I am -attempting- to redeem Heero a bit in this story! I'm -attempting-! But yeah...anywho...  
  
Off to work on the next chapter! 


	12. Chapter 12

Yaay! I actually got this chapter done quickly! Of course I had plenty of inspiration for this chapter too...Watch 'Queen of the Damned' or read 'Guilty Pleasures' by Laurell K. Hamilton, and you'll know what I'm talking about here. But hey, at least we get to see lots of lemon-y goodness. This is just my way of going about giving my readers the lemon-y stuff. We're building up to a big blowout! It's not going to be pretty, folks, let me tell you. *evil grin* And there isn't so much angst in this chapter either! Hooray for comic relief! Yaay. But yeah...*ahem* Anyways!  
  
My reviewers!  
  
Smiley-person: Heh, no I really didn't kill him. But Wufei will want to be dead soon enough with the torture I'm gonna put him through...  
  
Hybrid fairy: Here's the next chapter!  
  
Nina: o.O;;; Please don't pull your hair out!  
  
Mars: *joins the masses groveling to Sea* Still, being the mere messenger is good! If not for you, I would never have known about the 3x4/4x3 heaven that is "Subtle Hints"! ^^ And of course Wufei lives, I would never forgive -myself- if I ever made him die in one of my stories! And yes Heero is being redeemed...in a weird, twisted sort of way. *sweatdrop* I was going to have him actually do something nice, but I decided to make it indirect, for the lemon-y pleasure of my reviewers! He will be redeemed by giving you all more naked Wufei. Heero giving people a naked Wufei...naked Wufei...naked Heero...naked Duo...*hentai thoughts* *drool* Now where was I? *blink blink* Ah yes, reviews...Ack, studying for exams! Poor Mars! *gives her a naked Wufei plushie to help her study*  
  
Solain-Rhyo: Yaay! You're addicted! ^^;;; No need to go into withdrawal! Here is the next chapter!  
  
Shella: It's all good, I luff 'Friends'. Phoebe and Joey are my favorites cause they remind me of me. ^^ And yes, Wufei shirtless is definitely a good thing...Which reminds me! Website! http://www.wufeiduo.net That is the site I found the awesome-ness 2x5 images! And if that isn't enough, go to the links section of that website and there are like twenty other 2x5 sites to go to that have tons more 2x5 pictures!!! I spent like three hours online just looking through those sites! But after reading those chapter, you're going to be questioning some things. ^.~ Sure a shirtless, blushing Wufei is yummy...But after reading this chapter...I think opinions may change. Then of course in the next chapter when I bring in ALL the fun stuff! Sometimes I even scare myself with my evilness...*grins*  
  
To anyone I forgot: Thank you for reviewing!  
  
And as for disclaimers and warnings, you already know them! So there's no use in me wasting the energy by typing them out.  
  
Forward HO! To the next chapter we go!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
***  
  
It was disgusting, to say the least.  
  
Even though dusk had long fallen over the city, the air was sweltering hot and the dense humidity clung like a second skin. Duo was praying that the looming storm broke soon or he would melt in the heat if it didn't. The weather really needed to make up its mind on whether it wanted to be relatively cool, like had been the past couple of nights, or hot because this was really ridiculous.  
  
Of course, he was thinking all of this to keep his mind off the real issues that were bothering him. The little part in your head that will always be superstitious no matter what was telling him that this storm was a particularly bad omen and coupled with the dream and his past few nights' experiences, he really was beginning to panic about what all this was leading up to.  
  
The big finale didn't look like it was going to be twenty circus clowns popping out of a two-seater car and dancing the jig to maddening high pitched carnival music. On the contrary, considering his luck, the big bang was more than likely going to one of those gory ones from B rated Dracula movies.  
  
Someone was feeling optimistic tonight, wasn't he?  
  
Quatre craned his neck, propping his chin on Trowa's upper arm as he glanced back worriedly at the uncharacteristically quiet braided boy as they walked down the sidewalk. He strolled a few feet behind them, which wasn't unusual because they were the couple and he didn't want to appear like some tagalong, but normally that wouldn't stop him from holding a loud conversation over people's heads whenever he felt like it.  
  
Duo's shoulders were slightly hunched, as if the humidity was bearing down on him heavily, with his fists shoved deep into the pockets of his pants and his head bowed, apparently finding the pavement very interesting. He still looked tired and a bit shaken from when Quatre had woken him up and the sultry climate was doing nothing to boost any of their spirits. Even Trowa was showing signs of discomfiture as he loosened and re-entwined his hand with the empath's every so often, cooling their sweaty palms.  
  
Feeling Quatre's penetrating gaze scrutinizing him, Duo straightened his posture and offered a halfhearted smile at him. 'Yeah, I'm just peachy...' he thought, sounding more like he was trying to convince himself more than anything else. In return he got another anxious once-over, but the blonde turned back around all the same.  
  
It was going to be a very, very long ass night.  
  
With these reflections plaguing his mind and their plans for that night duty-wise, it was -undeniably- going to be a very, very long night.  
  
***  
  
Heero opened Wufei's door and went into his bedroom. He had said to get him when it was time to go out, so that was what he was doing.  
  
Wufei seemed to be sleeping dreamlessly now, though of course he was, since Heero wasn't toying with his mind. He had to admit, it had been a little low even for him to give the Chinese vampire and Duo that nightmare, but-  
  
There was not 'but'. He couldn't remember why he had done it, if there was a reason at all.  
  
Perhaps he was a sick bastard. He already knew he couldn't stand Wufei's scorn. That was why he got involved with this in the first place. Or maybe it was because the mocking Asian was so easily accepted by the braided slayer that seemed to hate him as equally as he likes Wufei.  
  
Duo certainly made that crystal clear more than once. He defied almost everything he was taught as a slayer to help search for ways to 'heal' Wufei while at the same time didn't hesitate to try to rip Heero's throat out.  
  
Was Heero's reason jealousy?  
  
Him? Jealous?  
  
No, it couldn't be.  
  
If it wasn't that though, then what was the reason?  
  
Shaking his head abruptly, Heero returned to his task of kicking Wufei out of bed like he had asked. "Get up, it's after sunset."  
  
"Come back later."  
  
"You're the one who told me to wake you up."  
  
"Go away."  
  
Heero took hold of the bed sheets and pulled them off, snickering as Wufei automatically flinched at the sudden change from toasty warm to ice cold. [1]  
  
"Goddamn it, give those back! It's freezing!" Wufei growled, glaring at him from behind tangled strands of raven hair.  
  
"I thought it was 'hot'."  
  
"Don't start that bullshit with me," he muttered, snatching the blankets from his grip and sitting up. "See? I'm awake, now go away."  
  
"All right, no need to get pissed off at me." Heero held his hands up defensively.  
  
"Taking the sheets wasn't necessary."  
  
"I could have used my methods of making you be quiet."  
  
Wufei shot him a murderous glare and pushed himself off of the edge of the bed. "I think not."  
  
Heero smirked and left his room, the door being slammed after him.  
  
He emerged a few minutes later, fully clothed in some faded jeans and his regular navy blue tank top this time, combing at his loose strands of hair. Still feeling rather tired, he didn't even try to bother with a half-decent ponytail, so he did nothing and left it the way it had been when he woke up. He wasn't impressing anybody, so what did a bit of untidiness matter?  
  
"What are you so eager to get me out for?" Wufei asked grumpily.  
  
"There's a party tonight."  
  
"And?"  
  
"I want you to go with me." Heero shrugged a little.  
  
"Isn't that what Relena is for?" he grimaced at the idea of spending an evening with the blonde pursuing them everywhere and clinging like Saran wrap.  
  
Heero snorted derisively. "She won't be pestering anyone for a while. A slayer killed her last night."  
  
At that, Wufei instantly snapped to attention. "What? Last night?"  
  
"Hn. Relena, Hilde, and Sally were all killed."  
  
He remained quiet, under ordinary circumstances he probably would have asked then if the party was in celebration of the squawking thing's demise, but he refrained and instead inquired, "What did they do?"  
  
Heero shrugged again indifferently. "Who knows? They were probably being reckless and stupid and didn't try to feel for an aura before attacking the slayer. Now are we going, or what?"  
  
"I guess so..." Wufei conceded warily. Though living with the Japanese boy for the past two years had made him come to expect a lot of surprising things, his coldness towards others still managed to shock him every once and a while. Despite being annoying as hell, the three girls had been actual humans at one point in their lives, but the way Heero just dismissed their 'deaths' was as if they had been nothing more than the dirt stuck to the sole of his tennis shoe.  
  
Shaking his head in silent disdain, Wufei followed Heero out into the muggy twilight.  
  
***  
  
"Will you be all right by yourself in there?"  
  
"YES, for the last goddamn time, I will be FINE!" Duo exclaimed exasperatingly. It seriously need to start raining, the heat was wearing his already rankled nerves to their maximum.  
  
The three stood a good deal away from a large Victorian-style manor that stood partially shrouded behind ancient willow trees in the front lawn, while flanked by thick, dense forestry in the back. Inside, numerous amounts of vampires were gathering for what they liked to call a 'freak party', which meant there was going to be a lot of blood drinking, sex, and kinky violence while under the influence of the full moon. Yes it was full moon, it was just concealed by the stubborn storm clouds that refused to let their moisture loose and keep peoples' skin from melting off.  
  
Because of his empathetic abilities, Quatre was posing as a vampire with Trowa as his...human toy. He would be able to shield their auras for a good portion of the evening and appear like one of their kind, but at his own expense. The two were certainly dressed for the parts, the blonde wearing a sheer turquoise shirt halfway unbuttoned and -way- too tight bronzed leather pants while his unibanged counterpart clad in a jade green version of the same pants and was shirtless under his jacket.  
  
Duo was supposed to be a mainliner. All he had to do was basically walk in there and look like easy prey for all the lovely fanged Undead to pounce on. Why human beings would actually put themselves through so much shit just to become a vampire, and ENJOYED it, was beyond him. They should realize that leading a normal life was by far better than having to endure the endless years in a shell of what you once were and could never be again. Unless of course they ran across a slayer's path, and everyone knows what happens then.  
  
Duo wore the black muscle shirt he had slept in and pants that were equally as constricting as the other two's. [2] They were -not- comfortable, as a certain part of his anatomy screamed out agonizingly, it took a lot of willpower not to wince every time he moved. The outfit also put up a few obstacles in the weapons department as well, it meant no guns and less artillery. Everything would be done manually with stakes, much to Duo's disdain; he would gladly take a fully loaded gun any day over stakes. His wrist sheathes were disguised as armbands decorated with rings, the type used by people with bondage fetishes. Very attractive. There were daggers in his boots and a couple extra attached to ankle sheathes. That was it. Trowa was armed similarly, and Quatre had some, but mostly his job was to cover them and try not to get overwhelmed by all the emotions and energies that were going to be taking place inside the party.  
  
"Just drop it, there's no use arguing," said Trowa, shifting uncomfortably under his jacket. "We'll go in first."  
  
Quatre sighed in defeat. "Okay...Meet us back here at three Duo." He snaked an arm around the tall boy's waist and they disappeared underneath the willow tree branches.  
  
***  
  
"So where is this 'party' exactly?" Wufei asked, disgruntled. He had been walking with Heero now for what felt like hours, finding them in the outskirts of the city where large houses and spacious lawns reigned. Shadowy woods enclosed the properties all from behind, making a secret escape from the back door impossible even if he needed to in a life or death situation. It was nastily hot and Wufei had long ago realized how great the mistake of wearing jeans was.  
  
"It's right there." Heero pointed to the last house on the street. House wasn't the right word. Miniature mansion, maybe. Even with the enormous willow trees concealing almost everything, it was still visible.  
  
Wufei narrowed his onyx eyes as he surveyed a group of people paused in front of the willow trees before vanishing behind the sweeping branches. A few looked normal, but most of them were...unique with their attire. If it could be called attire. How about just barely covering the essentials? One girl seemed to have just walked out of a gothic version of a Playboy magazine and her consort wasn't much better in shredded leather pants and a fishnet shirt.  
  
"Here's a better question, exactly WHAT kind of 'party' did I let myself get talked into?" Wufei muttered, afraid he was about to get a nosebleed if he saw one more person in nothing but see- through undergarments.  
  
Then again, he found himself even more afraid of Heero's reply.  
  
Heero grinned.  
  
Yes, now he was positively terrified. [3]  
  
But before he could say anything in dissent, a black-clad figure stepped out of the bushes ahead of him and Heero, the figure's long braid swinging limply after him. A braid. Wufei's step faltered and Heero glanced over at him, his expression unreadable.  
  
"What? Don't tell me you're backing out now."  
  
"O- of course not!" Wufei watched as Duo entered through the willow tree curtains, and let out an undetectable sigh of relief. He hadn't seen them. "I wouldn't want you thinking I was a chicken, now would I?"  
  
"No, we wouldn't want that," Heero smirked, then mock-bowed. "After you."  
  
Wufei snorted, going ahead into the branches and discovering that there was a walkway that led to the front door. At least he had one comforting thing to think about before entering Hell, that he wasn't the only one suffering. Duo had seemed pretty miserable looking in those tight clothes, not that Wufei was complaining...Wait, why was he thinking about that?  
  
'Particularly in this weather...'  
  
He forced himself to turn and see if Heero was coming, trying to keep his mind from wandering into places that it needn't be in, but thanks to the help of the Gothic Playboy Barbie and Bondage Leather Ken, it -was- there. And wasn't about to come out of those places any time soon.  
  
***  
  
  
  
Haha! I put Wufei's mind in the gutter! ^______^  
  
[1] Don't you -hate- that?! You're all nice and toasty warm and SOMEONE just HAS to rip your blankets off! *growl*  
  
[2]Okay now, who's covered in drool? *raises hand* Oh and it gets better in the next chapter...  
  
[3]I would be terrified too. Wouldn't you? Who in their right mind wouldn't? This is Heero Yuy we're talking about here.  
  
But yes! Off to work on the next chapter! ^^ 


	13. Chapter 13

EEP! *hides* You're gonna hate me for this chapter...  
  
*ahem* Now that my little moment of panic has passed...I must sincerely apologize for the long, long delay in posting up this new chapter! *sweatdrop* I got grounded for reasons undisclosed, and thus was banned from my precious Internet for a week. *sniffle* But that gave me time to write lots and think of all sorts of fun, evil new plot twists, even though suffering from Internet withdrawal. But I'm back!!!! *dun dun dun* Anyone miss me? ^^;;;  
  
(Duo: Just nod your heads and let her think she's 'special'.)  
  
o.0;;; Where'd he come from?! Ah well, anywho...but yes. I -know- I am going to be getting some major death threats with this chapter. I was planning on this chapter to be all nice, and reviewer-friendly, but my inspiration just won't let me. *sweatdrop* However much sense -that- just made. There's a cute 3+4 moment though! *cheer!* ^^ If that eases the death threats any. Um, yeah.  
  
Enough of my completely pointless babbling, eh? On with the reviews!  
  
Mars: You're welcome! ^___^ Lol, yes 'she's dead. Forget melodramatic whispering! Do the schizophrenic Gollum! Lol! I love Gollum. But yes, anyways...I make Heero an asshole again. *sigh* He's never gonna want to be in another fic of mine by the time I'm through with this story. By the end of this chapter, you'll know what I mean. I'm so evil to my beloved G-boys sometimes...^^;;; Now for the party!  
  
Smiley-person: 'hn...'? Is that a good 'hn' or and bad 'hn'? o0;;;  
  
Xangel: Wee! Yes Relena is dead. ^^ It's always been a dream of mine to kill her off somehow, and I did it! *evil laughter* Even if it was in a very unconventional way. Oh well, I got to do it though, didn't I? ^_^  
  
Solain-Rhyo- Here you go! I wrote more! And yes, Guilty Pleasures is awesome! I'm trying to get my hands on the next book in the series, but being grounded AND sick doesn't get you very far, now does it? Hopefully now that I'm better and ungrounded-ish I can go to Barnes & Nobles and get me some more of Laurell K. Hamilton's books. ^^ Yaay!  
  
Solus Nox: Am I making Wufei too nice? I didn't think so, I thought I balanced out his sarcasm and Justice Boy-ish-ness and vulnerability good. Maybe it's just Duo getting to him. ^^ No one can refuse the power of the beautiful braided bishounen! But yeah, anywho! And no, my friend told me about the Anita Blake series a couple of weeks ago when she asked me to join her RPG based on the books. She wanted me to play Ronnie, and I told her I hadn't read the books, so she gave me some book titles to read so I could do the RPG. ^^ And I really have no clue how long this is gonna last, I plan on ending it as everything gets resolved, but I keep throwing myself plot twists. *sweatdrop* I dunno, we'll just have to see how this party pans out, but I think there are still a good three or four more chapters left before I finish this fic. Maybe more. It just depends on what new twists I can put onto this story before I run out of inspiration. ^^;;;  
  
Lexington: Thank you! I'm glad you think it's great so far! Here's the next chapter!  
  
On with the fic!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
***  
  
Wufei cleared his throat uncomfortably. "If you swear not to make me take this to my grave, do I still have the option of chickening out?" He did not want his vision to adjust to the darkness, by the sounds and smells of things, it would be an excellent idea to keep it focused on the ceiling.  
  
"No, besides you're already inside."  
  
"Please?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"You're really love watching me suffer, don't you?" Wufei groaned, still concentrated on the roof.  
  
"Naturally," Heero replied amusedly, leading him out of the hallway and into the closest room.  
  
"I hate you...I really do, I hope you've realized that by now."  
  
There was no reply from him. Wufei swallowed hard and dared a glimpse around the room he had been brought into. Heero was gone.  
  
'Damn him!' He cursed silently. 'Where the hell did he go? This is what I get for agreeing to anything he proposes!' Deciding that standing in the doorway like a gawking idiot wouldn't do much better, Wufei carefully made his way towards the end of a nearby couch, it was only occupied by a blonde and his shirtless beau with gravity-defying hair, whom were on the opposite side.  
  
This seemed safe. Yes, sitting here inconspicuously and waiting for Heero to return so he could bash his head in seemed really safe...even running into Duo by 'chance' didn't sound so bad either... Until Wufei caught the blonde glancing over at him and whispering something to the other's ear. He shook his head in disagreement and the blonde looked briefly at the Chinese vampire again, biting his lip uncertainly as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.  
  
***  
  
Duo REALLY regretted walking through the threshold the second he was inside. Poor Quatre was going to need major psychiatric help after this.  
  
There was people -everywhere-, and they sure weren't just sitting around sipping tea and talking about their lives. Oh no, the 'Welcome!' for this party was grab the first person in sight and shag like mad the floor or against the wall. If they were going to do -that- right off the bat, why bother with wearing clothes to the party in the first place?  
  
It was air conditioned inside though. That was a perk.  
  
As Duo moved further into the house, he got potent whiffs of cigarette smoke, alcohol, blood and other bodily fluids, making him nauseous. He tried ignoring it, but it was just too damn strong. 'Act like you enjoy this crap Maxwell...' he thought, forcing himself to smile instead of throw up.  
  
It worked, for the most part. Suddenly, the next thing he knew was that someone had a pair of arms around his waist and was pulling him out of the middle of the hallway.  
  
Duo blinked and found himself staring into the last pair of eyes he needed to be looking into under the current circumstances.  
  
Prussian blue.  
  
Intense Prussian blue.  
  
He instinctively jerked back, but Heero had a firm grip about his torso. He got bonus points though for being able to tear his furious gaze away and glaring pointedly at the wall.  
  
"Let me go." Duo growled dangerously, putting his hands against his chest to shove him away.  
  
"You don't belong here." Heero replied simply, his hold not slackening.  
  
"Damn it, I said let me go!" he hissed, glancing around to see if anyone was watching. No, they were all too busy doing their own...activities. "I swear if you don't, I'll kill you right here and now."  
  
"Being a little melodramatic, aren't you?"  
  
"It would get you to let me go, wouldn't it?"  
  
"I would reconsider that if I were you," Heero answered quietly, leaning in more so that only the braided boy could hear.  
  
"Give me one good reason why I should reconsider," Duo argued, attempting in vain to unpry himself and fight off the impending blush that threatened to paint his face tomato red.  
  
"One word." He came in even closer so that their cheeks just barely brushed. "Slayer. No one else here may know what you truly are, but I do. One slip of the tongue and tonight's little plan could be ruined."  
  
Duo stopped struggling abruptly. The bastard! Luckily it seemed as if he didn't know about Quatre and Trowa. But still...he couldn't risk it. "Y- you wouldn't-"  
  
Heero laughed, chilling his bones to the core. "Try me. I dare you."  
  
His laughter was cut short as a dagger appeared in Duo's hand, held right above where his heart was. "Big mistake buddy...Death never passes a dare up." More bonus points. His was able to keep his voice steady; despite the fact that all he really wanted to do right then was pass out and forget this had ever happened.  
  
"Look me in the eye and say that again."  
  
"I'm not -stupid-."  
  
"What? Is the slayer scared?" Heero taunted, smirking, not intimidated in the slightest.  
  
Duo growled and put more pressure on the knife. "Like hell I am! Now let me go, damn it! I'm sick and tired of this bullshit."  
  
"I'm hurt."  
  
"Hurt? You're a vampire! You don't feel anything because you're nothing but a cold, ruthless murderer!" he snapped angrily.  
  
"And? Wufei's one too and you sure don't seem to mind," Heero said flatly, pushing the braided boy's frazzled patience well beyond its limits.  
  
"He's NOT like you!" Duo retorted, turning his smoldering amethyst glower up at him.  
  
So much for those bonus points and him not being stupid.  
  
***  
  
Quatre couldn't help but to steal another glance over at Wufei sitting only a few feet away. Duo had been right, there was something unlike what he normally sensed from the Asian than from other vampires. If he could ever discern anything at all from other vampires, which meant something because the troubles and anxiety the blonde felt was from Wufei, not Trowa or Duo or any additional possible -living- people in this 'party'.  
  
Somehow he had managed to maintain a little piece of humanity in him. That alone was even more of a something.  
  
"What are you thinking so hard about, little one?" Trowa asked, brushing his fingertips through Quatre's golden tresses gently.  
  
"The handsome man sitting next to me without a shirt on," he smiled playfully. "I think everyone is jealous."  
  
"Oh really?"  
  
"Yes..." Quatre kissed him. "Because I have you all to myself and I'm not sharing."  
  
Trowa allowed a small smile and returned the kiss. "Not for too much longer..."  
  
"Don't remind me," he sighed, putting his head on his shoulder.  
  
"It would be unfair to leave all the work to Duo," Trowa pointed out objectively.  
  
Quatre unexpectedly sat up again, so quickly that even Wufei looked over curiously at the abrupt change. The air had filled with palpable anger tinged in fear at the sound of the braided slayer's name, the tension so thick it seemed as if the universe had stopped moving.  
  
"Something's wrong. Very wrong."  
  
In one fluid motion, Trowa was on his feet and pulled him up from the couch. "What is it?"  
  
"Duo. We have to find Duo..." Quatre's calm face was lined with apprehension as he headed out into the hall with Trowa, following the increasing wave of heated emotion.  
  
Until it suddenly vanished without a trace.  
  
***  
  
Wufei jerked his head up as he caught the last part of the blonde's remark before the couple hurried out of the living room. 'We have to find Duo...'  
  
He had sounded worried. Really, really worried. That didn't seem like a good thing. Unless of course they were talking about an entirely different Duo, instead of the one Wufei knew was also in the house, but then again, what was the likelihood of there being another Duo?  
  
Then it dawned on to Wufei out of nowhere.  
  
Heero.  
  
He couldn't understand why, but his instincts were all flashing warning signals as he got up and went after the blonde and his partner, wheedling his way through the hall.  
  
It couldn't be though, he almost hoped his intuition was mistaken, with as much as he disliked Heero, even Wufei -tried- to give him a little credit. He had a few redeemable qualities...they just weren't coming to mind at the moment. But he had to have at least one or two. Maybe.  
  
Wufei nearly ran headlong into the couple's backs as they stopped without warning, the blonde's aquamarine gaze roving around and searching for a clue as to their missing comrade's whereabouts. He didn't need to trail them any further; he could sense Heero's presence now.  
  
Pushing on past, Wufei staggered forward and saw a scene that made his blood run cold.  
  
Duo's expression was slack, staring up blankly into Heero's eyes, his dagger dropping to the carpeted floor from his limp hand.  
  
And Heero had his fangs bared.  
  
***  
  
  
  
  
  
EEP! *hides* Please don't kill me! This is what happens when DVG has no Internet for a week!  
  
X.x;;  
  
I swear it's not as bad as it seems...er...is...but yeah! I'll fix it, I promise! *sweatdrop* 


	14. Chapter 14

GUESS WHAT!!!  
  
Well, other than DVG being EXTREMELY late with this next chapter and also being terribly sorry for the delay...I won an award! ^_______________^ I got TWO in fact! I had entered 'Nowhere To Run' into a fanfic contest about a month and a half ago, and I won awards for Best 1x2 and Honorable Mention (meaning that the person who owned the contest liked my story best out of -all- the stories entered into the contest.)  
  
Isn't that awesome? I feel special.  
  
BUT YES! Now for my millions of 'I'm sorry' bows to my readers for taking so long with this! You don't know how many times I went through and rewrote this chapter and edited it. I wanted everything to be -perfect-. It's even reviewer-friendly. ^_^ There's lots of angst, drama, and 3x4 cute-ness. I also leave a lot of questions unanswered, yet answer many questions at once, if that makes any sense whatsoever. I can't divulge further, because that would ruin this chapter, but see the Author's Notes at the end of the chapter!  
  
Reviews!  
  
Solain-Rhyo- YAAY! I get LKH books! ^_____^ Jean-Claude is -awesome-. I can't wait to see how he is in the rest of the books, because he was positively -sexy- in 'Guilty Pleasures'. And I won't leave ya hanging anymore! Here's the next chapter!  
  
Sapphire Angel- Actually, I don't really don't mind death threats. ^_^ On the contrary, I find them very amusing. They even help inspire me more sometimes than other reviews.  
  
Goddess of Bakas- Thankies and here's the next chapter!  
  
Avenged Suffering- *evil grin* No, a vampire Duo would not be a bad thing, but yes it would in this fic. Oops...I think I just gave away what happens, but oh well.  
  
Lady Rune- Yes, I love writing fics just to let out all my little hentai dreams about the G-boys. ^^;;;; I'm actually beginning to grow quite fond of 3x4 and feel a good story coming on that centers around them...Hmm...But yes! There are so many different choices in shounen-ai, you can't pick just one! ^___^  
  
Mars- EEP! Don't kill yourself now! *sweatdrop* That would definitely not be a good thing! *gives Mars ice for her chin* It's gonna be all right babe, don't worry! ^___^  
  
Lexington: Haha! Here's the next chapter! Yes, I know I am evil...Buwahahaha! But I granted the reviewers' wishes anyways! I'm not THAT evil now.  
  
Iruka-Yuywell- *1x2x1 flag waves proudly along with 2x5x2 and 3x4x3* I'm such a hentai...but I'm glad you're enjoying this story!  
  
Smiley-person- You'll see...you'll see...I can't say anymore because it will give everything away!  
  
Lil Black Cat- OMG! I love that! 'Damn it all to hell!' That's cute! But yeah...*ahem* o.O;;; don't worry, here's the next chapter! I don't mean to make you suffer so much, I swear!  
  
(Duo: You know you love watching them suffer. Just admit it. Look at the shit you put -US- through! And we're supposed to be your BELOVED G-boys!  
  
DVG: You're right! *evil, evil grin*)  
  
Yami Crystal- Updated! Read and be left hanging yet again! *sweatdrop* (I need help)  
  
And last, but certainly not least on my list of favorite review- people...  
  
SHELLA!- I actually waited for your review this time before I posted this chapter. I love your reviews! And my chapters feel naked without me spending a page in reply to your wonder-full- ness reviews! ^^;;;; Just don't go psycho on me! *Meep!* And if you do something really, really, really, really horrible to me, then I can't finish my story! O.O;;;  
  
*ahem* Now that that's through with...ON WITH THE STORY! YAAY!  
***  
  
"He's NOT like you..."  
  
It all dissolved into darkness; the last thing Duo saw was those damned blue eyes of Heero's. Maybe he was stupid, he should have seen that trap coming a mile away, he knew his weakness and he played on that, but Duo had been so wrapped up in his own troubles that he didn't realize until too late what had happened like the stupid idiot he was.  
  
'Damn him!'  
  
He tried desperately to hold on to that furious thread of reality, repeating 'Damn him!' like a broken record to keep from falling under, but it didn't work. The anger faded to nothing, oblivion washing over his mind, relaxing his tense muscles and splintering his steely resolve.  
  
This was the point where the warm, tingling sensation was supposed to step in, to make you feel like you weren't dying a slow death, no one was draining all the blood out of you, you were only sleeping. No pain. Nothing. Like crawling into your soft, comforting bed after a long day of work when all you want to do is curl up and forget the world even existed.  
  
That feeling didn't come though. Something was wrong. Really, really wrong. It was as if time had just stopped completely and Duo was drifting in the emptiness without any disturbances. But that wasn't how it was supposed to be, something in reality was wrong and all he could do was sit there in the darkness unaware of whatever was going on without his knowing.  
  
He couldn't move.  
  
He couldn't see.  
  
He couldn't hear.  
  
He couldn't sense.  
  
Couldn't breathe.  
  
There was only the endless oblivion.  
  
It was the worst possible form of torture ever conceived. To not be able to do a single damn thing, to be powerless when you -knew- your whole life depended on it.  
  
It could truly drive anyone insane.  
  
Wait-  
  
He was moving.  
  
The obscurity shattered like glass, his skin prickling as if millions of needles were being jabbed in as the body-engulfed numbness diminished. Duo felt cold rain pelting him, making his tight black pants stick rather unpleasantly. Someone was carrying him and they were running.  
  
Well, at least this meant he wasn't dead. That had to be a plus.  
  
Duo muttered incoherently and whoever was carrying his sorry ass slowed down to a stop, two sets of puddle splashing footsteps following close up behind them.  
  
"Is he coming to?" It was Quatre. He sounded quite upset, though given the compromising position he must have been discovered in with Heero; he had every right to be upset.  
  
"Yes."  
  
Hold on a second, he recognized that voice...  
  
"Are you sure Wufei?"  
  
Duo forced his leaden eyelids to open at Trowa's skeptical inquiry and blinked underneath his dripping wet bangs. If it weren't for his voice, he wouldn't have been able to actually identify Wufei at first. His long black hair clung to the sides of his face and neck, instead of being in the ponytail and out of the way. Not that he was complaining or anything.  
  
Wufei slowly eased Duo down to his feet, keeping a close arm about the braided boy's waist as he sagged a bit before regaining his balance. They stood just outside the apartment building in the rain; he had been under for nearly the entire way back from the party. Wufei had bore his practically dead weight the whole time. No words needed to be said.  
  
Duo kept a steadying grip on the Asian's shoulder as they headed into the building as exhaustion settled on him heavily in the aftermath of 'waking up'. In decent lighting, the other three looked terrible, to point out the obvious. Soaked, bedraggled, worried, and pale were a few more words to describe them. Duo was almost afraid to see what -he- looked like.  
  
As the elevator doors shut, he broke the strained silence timidly. "What happened?" Probably not the best question to ask at that time, but he hated being left uninformed. "I- I mean, I know it must've seemed really bad-"  
  
"-Seemed-?" Wufei caught Duo off guard as he rounded onto him and took him by the shoulders, not even giving Quatre or Trowa a chance to speak up. "Listen to someone who speaks from experience, the instant -he- laid his hands on you, you weren't safe. The instant he gets you in his sight and makes up his mind; there's no changing it. And unless I'm mistaken, tonight wasn't just by chance, was it?"  
  
Duo turned his face away as it went red, his eyes beginning to sting as he swallowed hard. "No."  
  
"Back off," Trowa interrupted, there was no tone to his voice, but his words were enough to give off the vibe that he was pissed. Very pissed. "Release him and back off."  
  
"Trowa, please-" Quatre began soothingly, but Wufei had complied and stepped away.  
  
Duo shook his head, glancing anxiously over at the tall boy as he talked. "Before anyone jumps down each others' throats, let me explain. But I want you guys to tell me what went on back there, so don't think you're off the hook. You more than well deserve more of an explanation right now then I do Wufei. I think there's some things your buddy's been keeping from you."  
  
"Heero is not my 'buddy'," he corrected roughly. "I've surmised as much, but obviously the extent of this is more than I imagined. My ignorance proven by the little incident tonight."  
  
"If anyone's stupid here, it's me," Duo said quietly, shaking his head again to intercept anyone's disagreement with that statement. "But that's not the point. Yes Wufei, tonight wasn't by chance. Because of a naïve slip up on my part, Heero was kinda let on to what I was helping you with, and I guess he took it a bit too personally. Of course, I wasn't exactly very -nice- about it, but still...I've gotten nothing but hell over this. First there were those crazy girls he sent to kill me then-"  
  
"Wait, were there three women?" Wufei cut in, thinking of earlier when Heero told him about Hilde, Relena, and Sally.  
  
"Yeah..." He raised an eyebrow curiously. "Two blondes and a blue haired chick. Man, if there's one thing I will never forget is the Relena girl's -voice-, God it was horrible. I pissed her off 'cause I laughed at her, trying to be all scary and intimidating when she sounded like a banshee, I just couldn't help myself. If they hadn't started fighting though, I would have been one dead slayer. Then, when I finally got away, I was hauled ass to get to that bar- We found ways to undo the vampirism."  
  
Quatre smiled graciously. "Don't be modest, Trowa and I only gave you references, you did all the research." He couldn't decide who was the happier one after Duo's announcement, Duo himself or Wufei; both of their moods had taken an immediate upswing when he had said it. The former's tired expression had broken into an awkward grin while the latter was torn between kissing the former or staying politely silent so he could finish his story, the result ending with an equally awkward uncertainty on what exactly to do.  
  
There was a brief moment of quiet as the elevator doors opened on their floor and they went out.  
  
Duo cleared his throat uneasily and continued. "Like I was saying, I was going to the bar to give you the news, that was when I saw you running out, then I ran into Heero. We started, okay so -I- started, arguing until Sally pops out right beside to tell the bastard about Relena and Hilde and that was when I figured it all out, so then I was REALLY not nice with him. I got myself two justly earned punches and only succeeded in royally pissing the hell out of Heero even more, being the stupid guy I am. That basically sums up everything I should think- Duo was being stupid and brought it all onto himself by opening his big mouth."  
  
"It isn't all your fault, so don't talk about yourself like that!" Wufei protested as Quatre and Trowa entered the apartment ahead of them. "I was the one who approached you in the first place."  
  
"I didn't have to agree," he dissented, though quickly added, "But I would gladly do it again if I had to," before ducking into his bedroom. Wufei stopped abruptly in the hallway outside the room in shock as the insinuation behind what he said struck him.  
  
Out in the living room, Quatre observed it all with visible intrigue. The situation was definitely becoming more interesting as he discerned different views and angles. He couldn't remember ever feeling so much fear coming from a single person as he had earlier that evening when Trowa and he had caught up with the Chinese vampire. And it seemed now that Duo wasn't the only one in conflict with his emotions.  
  
Duo reemerged before Wufei had fully recovered from the surprise and handed him a fresh set of clothing and a towel. "I didn't know if you are going to leave later or not, so I thought- well, I sure wouldn't want to be stuck in damp clothes and all- er, yeah-" His cheeks tinged slightly pink and he retreated back into the room.  
  
Wufei blinked at the closed door bewilderedly for a second then turned around to find the bathroom. As he began to peel his soggy tank top off, there was a loud slam out in the hallway and Duo's thoroughly annoyed voice rang through the apartment.  
  
"QUATRE! Get me something sharp so I can hack these damn pants off!"  
  
A highly vivid image surfaced in Wufei's mind and a nosebleed threatened to pour as he forced the picture to go away.  
  
***  
  
After changing into the biggest set of clothes he owned and semi- drying his hair; Duo came into the living room to be greeted with quite the uncommon scene.  
  
Trowa and Quatre were perched in their usual spots in the loveseat, but Quatre was in deep discussion with Wufei, who was in the armchair beside him (and looking rather good clad in all black), and Trowa appeared a little irked at being ignored by his blonde beau.  
  
The instant the braided boy entered the room though, the conversation lulled and three pairs of eyes glanced over at him.  
  
"Just the person we wanted," Quatre smiled slightly. "Well, Duo, I left the honors of telling Wufei his options to you; I've filled him in on everything else."  
  
Duo hesitated as he sat down in the chair across from them, watching them warily. They were trying to avoid -his- questions by bluntly bringing up the un-vampirism issue, he was sure of it by how Quatre had immediately stopped talking when he walked in. That, and the barely noticeable way he fidgeted in the seat when he had spoken. It seemed whatever had transpired at the party was still too fresh for the three to discuss. He would have to wait then to get the information -he- wished for, something he didn't particularly like to do.  
  
So Duo proceeded to disregard the obvious change of topic and began recounting the methods he had read in the books. His opinion about the first was confirmed as Wufei automatically shot down the possibility of killing his sire, with the fact that he didn't know who it was made that choice invalid, something he had pointed out with a touch of bitterness that only Quatre sensed.  
  
'Of course not, it would only make things easier if all they had to do was hunt down a vampire and kill it to cure him. Everything had to be nice and difficult to add more to pain already endured,' was the basic gist of what the empath perceived.  
  
However, that was -before- he had heard of the second, morbid Walt Disney method of un-vampirism with its extremely complicated, macabre sappiness.  
  
-After- the revelation, well, the situation seemed pretty damn hopeless.  
  
"Somebody up there REALLY doesn't like me right now, do they?" Wufei asked offhandedly, waving up towards the ceiling in place of the heavens. Duo snorted at the sarcasm, but Quatre gazed at the Asian somberly. He didn't, or rather choose not to, notice the penetrating glance seeing past the banter.  
  
"Don't worry Fei, this was all I could find in just those coupla days, I'm sure there's got to be other ways," Duo amended reassuringly, having had taken note of the blonde's reaction. "There are still tons of books to skim through, you never know, we c- could-" he paused, stifling an enormous yawn and slouching a bit further into the armchair. "-we could come across something new."  
  
"No, no, it's fine. You've done more than plenty for me, much more then I deserve, and I am very, very grateful for the assistance," Wufei interrupted softly, yet forcibly. "I've caused you all enough trouble as it is, I don't want to make it any worse than it already is."  
  
"But I -want- to help you," Duo insisted indignantly, sitting back up.  
  
"You've nearly been killed THREE times because of this and I don't think I could take the guilt of knowing that if you -died- it would be because of -my- selfish request!" he burst out loudly.  
  
The room went dead silent.  
  
Not even Quatre had seen that coming.  
  
Duo stared, utterly blown away. His mouth moved wordlessly as he tried to decide whether he was angry at Wufei not thinking he could take care of himself in their current predicament (he was a slayer, damn it!), or admire how he would give up his hope of becoming mortal again just to keep him safe from harm's reach.  
  
Trowa broke the stunned hush, clearing his throat uneasily. "...Well..."  
  
"I should leave," Wufei said abruptly, starting to rise from the chair.  
  
"No!" Quatre protested suddenly, jumping to his feet before he got up all the way and blocking him. Everyone went quiet again, watching him curiously for an explanation. "I- I mean, you have to stay here, you can't go out there. Not after what you did tonight for Duo-" He stammered, blushing at all the attention. Wufei dropped back down, avoiding the blonde's eyes and looked at his lap.  
  
"Am I ever gonna hear about what happened, or are you gonna keep on talking as if I'm not in the damn room?" Duo's voice returned to him in his anger.  
  
Quatre stepped away from Wufei's chair and faced the braided boy. "I'm sorry," he apologized hastily, flustered. There were so many powerful emotions clashing and grating his already near shattering nerves, trying to appease them all was almost unfeasible. "I'm sorry, we don't mean to, it's-" he kneaded his throbbing forehead exasperatingly. "There's just too much! This is too much! I can't handle this! I- I have to go lie down..."  
  
In a flash, Trowa had his arms around Quatre supportively as he went pale and ushered him into their bedroom.  
  
Duo gripped his bangs in frustration and let out an aggravated sigh. "DAMN IT!"  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
For a moment, he had forgotten he wasn't the only one in the room. "What are you apologizing for Wufei? I didn't think about all the shit he had been through tonight before I opened my big fat mouth and upset him more. I was the self-centered asshole, as per the norm." He sighed again, but this time it was tired and regretful.  
  
"He is a very sensitive person," Wufei acknowledged, nodding slightly.  
  
Duo raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you know he was an empath? It's kinda expected with them."  
  
"A what?"  
  
"Jesus, you're -really- uninformed, aren't you? Empaths are like psychics; they feel other people's emotions and can read minds and stuff like that. He's the reason we haven't been killed yet in our line of work, because of those abilities." Duo turned his gaze over to the hallway where the two had disappeared with a grateful expression.  
  
Wufei shifted uncomfortably. If all he had said was true, then the blonde must have had a heyday after running into him. He hadn't exactly been attempting all too hard to hide how he was feeling either, but it -would- explain why he had been surveying him so closely at the party and the odd way he had been acting around him ever since they had entered the apartment.  
  
Duo chuckled. "Don't worry, Q-man would never take a peek into your mind without permission," he winked, guessing the Chinese boy's unease correctly. "He may feel what you do, but he won't say anything about it."  
  
Wufei let out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding, causing Duo to raise his eyebrow again in interest.  
  
He took Quatre's empty spot on the love seat beside the Asian and turned serious. "Can -you- at least tell me what happened?" he asked tentatively. "Please? I don't want to wait until the two lovebirds decide it's fine."  
  
"You're very stubborn aren't you?"  
  
"YES! You don't know how much it -sucks- to feel stupid- okay, well obviously Heero hasn't been telling you a lot of things, so maybe you can relate, but still..." Duo grabbed Wufei's hand, forcing him to look at him and gave him the kittenish pout no one could resist. "-Please-?"  
  
"All right...It's not very pleasant though..."  
  
***  
  
Quatre pulled away from Trowa as soon as they shut their bedroom door behind them, leaving him standing in the middle of the room confused.  
  
"Are you okay?" Trowa inquired, barely masking his bafflement.  
  
"Oh yes, I'm fine," Quatre turned around and smiled.  
  
"Then what was all that about?"  
  
"I wanted Duo and Wufei to be alone for a while," he replied with a casual shrug. "There are things they need to sort between them, and we didn't need to be hovering over them."  
  
Trowa shook his head, the empath apparently had his own agenda in this situation, and not being graced with the same capabilities as his lover, he had no clue what Quatre was going on about. "Things?"  
  
"Yes," the blonde's smile went mischievous. "Things."  
  
"I see...so you're going to be sly about it too, aren't you?" Trowa replied amusedly, catching on.  
  
"My intentions are wholly good, I don't know what you're getting at..." Quatre dismissed indifferently, though not losing the playfulness in his expression. "...but even angels are allowed to play dirty every once and a while."  
  
"Well, then let's give them all the time they need to 'sort things out'..."  
  
***  
w00t, Quatre the sneaky little devil. ^___^ He's like my tool for creating lovely lemon-y-ness in all my fics. If no one's noticed by now, with the exception of 'Nowhere To Run', it's always Quatre giving Duo or whoever I'm pairing Duo with that extra little -push-. I love making him evil. It's just so fun.  
  
And -yes- I do plan on explaining what happened. I know this chapter probably pissed everyone off, but I wanted to show how they got Duo from Heero's point of view. (So no, he's not dead either. I -know- some of you people are thinking that right now! But no. He's still alive. There's still more evilness I must put them all through.) But I just wanted you all to know, I'm not purposely avoiding the subject! I have something AWESOME planned. Er, I don't think -awesome- is exactly the right word for it, but you know what I mean, right? *sweatdrop*  
  
Wow, this has to be the longest chapter I've ever written.  
  
Now click! Review! Flame! As I wander off and work on the next chapter... 


	15. Chapter 15

Lyrics from Disturbed's 'Awaken' appear again!  
  
Yaay! DVG didn't take forever to get this chapter written! Though it isn't as long as the last chapter. But that's okay, right? The next chapter is gonna be...interesting. Never, ever get on Heero's bad side. That's all I can say. *ahem* But yeah! I wasn't all too pleased with this chapter, but I mean, it's still great. I just wasn't happy with it. Oh well. I'll live.  
  
REVIEWS!  
  
I must say, I was very flattered by all the reviews I received. I got a few good laughs too. ^__^  
  
Avenged Suffering: Oi...*wipes tears from eyes* That was a lovely review. And yes, it's all explained! Don't worry! You won't be in suspense any longer!  
  
SanosukeLover- Milly Maxwell- *sweatdrop* 'Or else', eh? Bring it on! J/k! Here's the next chapter!  
  
Goddess of Bakas: OMG! I'm so sorry you killed your lunch while reading! *gives her another lunch* There! I hate when I do that! I know how you feel.  
  
Lexington: Thankies thankies! ^___^ I am so proud of those awards. Here is more Heero and Duo stuff...Though no wet Wufei. *sigh* But you -do- get a sick minded Wufei in place of the wet Wufei. *wink wink*  
  
Mars: Hahahaha...Well Wufei gets more nosebleed thoughts! ^___^ I just couldn't help myself. It's just a simple misunderstanding, but still...coming from Wufei, it's funny as hell. And no, Wufei doesn't knock Heero up side the head with a lampshade. *is suddenly inspired to write a fic about that* Ooooo...But no, it's much more angst-y full. Naturally.  
  
Solain Rhyo- *modest blush* Oh please, all that wasn't necessary. ^___^ (Duo: You know you loved that.) Shhh! But yes, I will not leave out to wither in the twilight any longer! Here is the next chapter!!!!  
  
Smiley-person: Hm. I hope that's a good Hm. *sweatdrop*  
  
Iruka Yuywell- Haha, yes, Duo -cut- off his pants. And Quatre is just too adorable. I don't think you've read 'Nowhere To Run', have you? My 'evil Quatre' comment refers to that story of mine, where he was VERY evil in the last two chapters. ^_____^ Ask any of my other reviewers who have read the story. They'll tell you.  
  
Yami Crystal- Yes. *gasp* That had to have been one of the VERY few chapters I've ever posted that -didn't- have much of a suspenseful cliffhanger to it. I managed to control my cliffhanger-ness. ^___^ Be prepared to find out what really happened!  
  
Shella- Be ready to go all fan-girly again. ^_^;;; I just couldn't help myself. Heero finally gets some form of punishment in this chapter. Wufei gets pay back. And it's a bitch. But yes, everything is explained in this chapter. And that would be 'muy' not 'mucho'. For a person who has confused that many times in her Spanish II class, I should know. *sweatdrop* But yes! I waited just for your lovely-ness review. ^_____^ I am such a suck-up sometimes. (Duo: -Sometimes-?) Oh shush you. But yes. I did. And if it made your day better, then it made mine even more. I live to cheer people up. ^__^  
  
But yes!  
  
ON WITH THE STORY!!!!!  
***  
  
He had been so close. So, so close. So close he had almost been able to taste the sweet victory.  
  
Or at least taste the skin that protectively guarded the sweet triumph flowing beneath.  
  
THISCLOSE to getting what he wanted.  
  
Completing the bindings to the long dagger wound on his upper left arm with an angry scowl [1], Heero hurled the first aid kit against the wall across the room and sat back on the couch, reflecting darkly on how he had failed yet again. Failed. The thought of himself and failing in the same sentence made him want to throw something again, but since there was nothing within his reach, Heero settled with just glaring at the busted first aid kit.  
  
Duo had been ridiculously easy to manipulate, all he had had to do was mention something about Wufei to set the slayer off and everything was going according to plan. Of course, that should have been the warning. Nothing goes perfect without a consequence. But he had been so engrossed in believing that he was about to win that he wasn't thinking of those consequences.  
  
Or he was just too engrossed with a certain pair of amethyst eyes.  
  
But he wasn't going to admit to the latter.  
  
The second Duo dropped his knife, Heero thought he had been in the clear. He couldn't sense any other slayers in the house, though if he hadn't seen the braided boy outside before coming in, he wouldn't have known that he was there either. That was something that puzzled him, how they had been able to hide their auras. It wasn't until the blonde and his partner arrived after Wufei that Heero had realized the mistake in assuming that there were no other slayers.  
  
He was just about to sink his fangs into Duo's throat when another dagger whizzed past his face and lodged itself in the wall mere inches away from where his head would have been if he had lowered it any further. Automatically looking up into the crowded hallway to find the culprit, Heero missed Wufei crouching down and picking up Duo's knife from the floor, though he did catch the tall, unibanged slayer with another knife aimed right at him. He wasn't going to miss the second time if he threw it, the set look of stoic determination on his face told Heero that. The blonde looked like he was about to faint at what he saw.  
  
That was the consequence of his nearly perfect plan. As soon as he laid eyes on the slayers, Wufei had stabbed Heero in the aforementioned bandaged arm. -Wufei- had stabbed him. Sure he had been trying to get help from Duo, but Heero never could have guessed that he would've gone so far as to seriously injure him.  
  
Becoming a traitor.  
  
Yet there he was, seeing his own death shining in those furious onyx eyes as the blade was slowly drawn out of his arm. For a fleeting instant, he wasn't Wufei standing there, he was the horrible creature Heero had been trying hard to coax out from behind his defensive shields for so long.  
  
For that fleeting instant, Heero had had a tiny taste of victory.  
  
Even if he had achieved the victory unwittingly.  
  
All...activities had ceased. With the slayer ready to kill and one vampire going against another, everyone in the house the tense. Watching. There wasn't a single sound to be heard.  
  
It was then that the storm finally broke. It was as if it had been patiently waiting for that exact moment to unleash its fury. In the height of energy and emotion, in sync with a battle that had long been seething underneath the surface, and like the storm, been waiting for the exact moment to burst the walls holding it back asunder. The house shuddered as thunder pealed, the rain suddenly pouring down in torrents, the thick air still in apprehension. Time had stopped.  
  
The electricity went out, and the next thing Heero knew, he was running through the streets. Or maybe he wasn't. No, he was feeling what Duo was before he managed to wake up from the spell. Heero himself was left alone back in the house, his jaw aching from a friendly punch administered during his shock, the bloody dagger laying by his side; the two slayers and Wufei had taken advantage of the moment of temporary daze and vanished. He got a partial grip of himself as he got to his feet and fought his way out of the frenzied party into the storm, holding his profusely bleeding arm carefully.  
  
That was when he found himself in their basement apartment, foraging around in the bathroom for the first aid kit, the last shreds of shock fading and being replaced by cold fury.  
  
Traitors would -not- be tolerated.  
  
//Feed on your nothing//  
  
Any and all obstacles must be eliminated.  
  
//And you'll never live up to me// [2]  
  
***  
  
When Wufei had finished the reluctantly told story, Duo could only stare at the Asian and gape.  
  
Until he noticed that he had been squeezing the hell out of his hand and let go self-consciously.  
  
"I don't know whether I should be proud of myself, or be ashamed," Wufei said softly, keeping his eyes down on the carpet between their chairs. "I- I mean, I -know- I saved you, but the fact that the first thing to come to my mind when I saw Heero about to...was the urge to hurt him...Even kill him if I had to. I didn't realize I had picked up your knife from the floor until after I had tore it into his arm. If Trowa hadn't told me to get you when the power went out because he had Quatre, I probably would have lost control again." Duo had to lean in closer to hear; his voice had gone quieter as he spoke as he admitted aloud what he feared most. "Who knows what would have happened if I had."  
  
"Hey, don't worry about it, you're here and you -didn't- lost it," Duo indicated reassuringly. "That's all that matters. It -didn't- happen. So don't fret over 'what ifs'. We're all here, no one's dead and we made it back in one piece."  
  
"Barely."  
  
"There's your problem! You're too damn pessimistic! Lighten up a bit, Wu-man."  
  
"You could be more serious. You could've -died- tonight," Wufei asserted.  
  
"Yeah, and? I run the risk of getting killed every night," Duo shrugged nonchalantly. "You get used to it when you're a slayer. Hell, I could've died years ago, even before becoming a slayer, if Trowa and Quatre hadn't come along and helped me out. I learned to never take life for granted before I could count to ten."  
  
"You're either very laid back, or extremely suicidal."  
  
Duo laughed, making Wufei smile slightly in spite of himself. "If I'm suicidal, then you're immoral."  
  
"Then that would make Heero God," he replied, still smiling.  
  
"That's a good 'Fei, you really DO have a sense of humor under all that worrying," Duo patted him on the head like one would a puppy when they've done something right, earning himself an evil 'Don't you -dare- do that again' glare in an equally playful response.  
  
"I never said I didn't have a sense of humor."  
  
"...coulda fooled me..."  
  
"...I just don't tend to convey it in the middle of a life-or- death situation when you need solemnity instead of cracking jokes," Wufei finished.  
  
"But we aren't in a life-or-death situation right this minute, so cheer up!" Duo grinned.  
  
He sighed and gave up fighting. There seemed to be no way to reason with the braided boy.  
  
His evident defeat in their argument only amused him more though and once again Wufei found himself smiling easily at his laugh.  
  
"You can be obnoxiously stubborn when you want your way, did you know that?"  
  
"It gets me what I want though, doesn't it?" Duo began to smirk, but ended up having to stifle another huge yawn. "Oi...I'm beat." He got up and stretched languidly, beginning to walk back into the hallway before glancing back at Wufei, who was still sitting. "Well, c'mon, don't just sit there."  
  
"W-what?" he blinked.  
  
Was he asking him to go to bed with him?  
  
"If you're staying here, you can't sleep out here with nothing, you need a pillow and all," Duo paused at the Chinese vampire's odd reaction. "I've got spares in my room."  
  
"Oh- right..."  
  
"What were -you- thinking?" he grinned slyly as Wufei quickly got to his feet and followed.  
  
"Definitely not whatever you are," he answered evasively.  
  
"Really? Then why is your face so red?"  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about," Wufei snorted, though he looked away uneasily as he hesitated outside the bedroom. [3]  
  
"Sure you don't," Duo replied mischievously. As he delved into the infinite black hole that was his closet for a blanket, he watched out of the corner of his eye as Wufei cautiously stepped through the doorway yet not very far so as to be able to make a fast exit. Taking a pillow from his bed, Duo went over and handed it and the blanket to him. "G'night, Wu-bear."  
  
"-'Wu-bear'-?"  
  
"Yep." He yawned and made his way back over to his bed, flopping down like a rag doll and managing to disappear underneath the tangle of bed sheets almost immediately.  
  
Wufei shook his head, returning to the living room to the couch against the wall opposite to the loveseat and two armchairs, tossing his pillow down at the end as he unfolded the blanket.  
  
When his head hit the pillow, his senses were overwhelmed by the scent of lavender vanilla.  
  
Duo's scent. [4]  
  
It was a moment that should go down in the record books. A vampire slept under the same roof as three slayers and wasn't the least troubled by the fact.  
  
That, and a big, bad slayer liked girly fragrances.  
  
'Wu-bear' didn't sound all too bad either.  
  
***  
  
[1]Yes, yes I know. I've said that the vampires heal almost instantly after being wounded, but Duo's knife was pure silver. Even though it wouldn't have killed him unless Wufei had shoved it through his heart, the knife wound would heal at a regular human rate instead of instantly because of it being pure silver.  
  
[2]*sigh* I love you Heero! I really, truly do! I just like making you evil more! *sweatdrop*  
  
Heero: *Death Glare* Omae wo kuruso.  
  
*hides*  
  
[3]I couldn't help myself. I put Wufei's mind in the gutter again. ^______^  
  
[4]Don't ask. I just picture Duo as being a lavender vanilla kinda guy. I have like specific scents for the guys. Duo's lavender vanilla, Wufei is Irish Spring Sport (REALLY don't ask about that one, but I used it in 'Of Blood And Tears' if anyone noticed. At the end when him and Duo...got friendly in bed after he had just taken a shower. ^____^), Quatre and Trowa are strawberries and roses (depending on how hentai my mind is at the moment), and Heero is a nice musk. I don't know why. I just have this thing with smelly stuff; I'm always getting in trouble for burning a bunch of candles and incense all at the same time.  
  
Anywho! I'm off to work on the next chapter! Click! Review! Flame! Just don't kill me and everything will be all right.  
  
*sweatdrop* 


	16. Chapter 16

(Duo: *ahem* Just a little forewarning...DVG is in a very angst- y mood. *glares* How could you do that to me?!)  
  
*sits on Duo* Shush you. I can be angst-y if I damn well want to. How can anyone be all sappy and comical after the week I had? *growl* Ah well. I'll live. But yes, this chapter is full of drama and...evilness.  
  
(Heero, locked in a closet, is heard shouting 'Omae wo kuruso' in the background)  
  
I apologized, but obviously Heero is not very happy with what I did in this chapter either. None of them are. Well, take that back. I know a few are. I figured, 'Well since I brought in Sally, Hilde, and Relena', I thought I would drag in a few more Gundam characters to throw into the mix. All in good intentions though. Heero had to have -someone- to conspire with. And I even keep true to my word that there will never be heterosexual relationship in this story. You get some Zechs and Treize fun and hints at Noin and Sally being together before Sally's 'death'. *sweatdrop* I've never read a fic yet that has paired Noin and Sally, but I thought 'What the heck, let's just throw them together'. Hopefully no one will be too tripped out over it.  
  
Oh well.  
  
And we have a SHOCKING revelation!!!!!! *evil grin* No hints here. Just forewarning and saying that there is a revelation. Even -I- don't know where it came from. I guess it's what happens when you've had a very bad week and mix in tons of gummy bears and sugar glaze doughnuts. Not good.  
  
Anywho!  
  
Reviews!  
  
SanosukeLover-Milly Maxwell- Well Heero is about to get even more evil. And isn't Wu-bear just so adorable? *gets glared at by the aforementioned Wu-bear*  
  
Lady Rune- Haha, Heero having 'that boy smell'. That's cute. At least it's better than saying Wufei's an Irish Spring Sport. *sweatdrop* But have you ever smelled that stuff? It smells like you just took a shower in a waterfall. I don't know. I'm just weird that way. But I'm glad you think this is an awesome story. ^_^  
  
Iruka- Yuywell- Yaay! Another person agrees with me.  
  
Aberness- w00t!!!! Haha! *ahem* I'm okay. Yesh, there will be plenty more mind-in-the-gutter moments in this story, just not in this chapter. o.O;;; Wait, no, I take that back. There is -a- moment. But it isn't worth getting excited about cause Heero is mocking Zechs and Treize. And yes and evil Heero is always a good thing, even if he doesn't agree with you. (Heero is heard yelling again from the barricaded closet)  
  
Avenged Suffering- Meep! *hides* Please dun kill meh. I am only the mere author of this ficcy. *sweatdrop*  
  
Yami Crystal- Well let's see here...Wufei, Fei, Fei Fei, Wu, Wu- man, Wu-bear, Wu Wu, Mr. Justice and Morality...I've used many nicknames for my Wu-bear. ^___^ I'm glad you liked the fight at the party, I was afraid I hadn't done enough. But since you seem to like it, then I guess it's okay. And yes, you will see evil Heero beginning his plot of revenge in this chapter. ^___^ (Heero blows up the closet and begins hunting for DVG)  
  
Solain Rhyo- *hides behind her so Heero doesn't see her* Eh he...Yaay! I'm blessed! I'm glad I was able to erm...save a few virgins' lives. *sweatdrop* Here is the next chapter!  
  
(Heero: *pulls out gun from Spandex space and aims*)  
  
Ravenquills: I'm glad you like my story! And yes, I get threatened all the time for my awful cliffies. ^^;;;;  
  
Smiley-person- Yes, I realized I misspelled 'Omae wo kuruso' and I really don't care. I've been spelling it like that forever now and don't feel like going back and fixing it.  
  
Mars: It's those damn subliminal messages!!!! Buwahahahaha! Of course, Duo's purty eyes -might- have something to do with the lavender thing, but I dunno, for me I just thought of him that way. No particular reason, I just did. *shrug* Lol, and yes, Wu- bear took out some of his bishie angst on Heero with the sharp, pointy, and sometimes-lethal weapon thingie. ^______^  
  
Shella: *shock* The -shortest- review ever! So were those good exclamation points, or were those bad exclamation points? o.0;;;  
  
*ahem* Anyways...*Locks Heero back into his little evil closet* Now that I've done my duties...  
  
ON WITH THE STORY!  
***  
  
Darkness, darkness, darkness...that's all there is when you fall asleep.  
  
Closing his eyes, there was comforting slumber waiting for him, waiting to help relieve him of the stress of that night.  
  
Or so he thought.  
  
There was slumber all right, but it wasn't comforting. No, reality had shattered into a void, when slipping into unconsciousness. It was a void, yet it seemed so full.  
  
Suffocating.  
  
He was suffocating.  
  
As if he were being pulled down deep underwater, the pressure bearing down harder and harder until he felt like he was going to be torn to pieces. But before it became unendurable, it just stopped. Tingling ran through his limbs, his skin crawling as if he were covered in spiders.  
  
Trying to bring his guard down, relaxing...peaceful...sleep...  
  
Oh God.  
  
No, he wasn't being relieved, he was -reliving- it.  
  
It was happening again.  
  
The nothingness.  
  
Suspended from invisible puppeteer strings, held in place.  
  
Not able to move.  
  
Suffocating.  
  
Can't breathe.  
  
Blood was everywhere.  
  
Can't feel.  
  
Panicking.  
  
Screaming.  
  
Someone was screaming.  
  
Screaming?  
  
Who was it?  
  
Fierce talons ripped away at the blackness, wrenching everything away, snapping the marionette strings.  
  
He could hear it now.  
  
Someone was screaming.  
  
-He- was screaming.  
  
There was so much blood.  
  
Everywhere.  
  
So much...  
  
"Shhh...It's going to be fine..."  
  
The screaming broke down into body-wracking sobs. All it took was a hand to touch him, to return him to reality and he fell apart at the seams, the hand's owner barely holding him together in his arms.  
  
"It's okay, I've got this handled."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes...Go make sure your partner is well."  
  
There was no response, or if there was, he couldn't hear it through his choked tears.  
  
"Duo, you have to calm down. Breathe..." Wufei said, trying to be soothing but he couldn't keep his voice steady, his heart was pounding against his ribcage.  
  
It was a miracle he hadn't fallen too deeply asleep out in the living room, because if he had, he wouldn't have gotten into Duo's bedroom fast enough to disentangle the braided boy from his bed sheets before he was asphyxiated. The strangled shouts had sounded so terrified; there were no words, just the tone as all that was required to tell him of the fear that gripped his mind. Wufei tentatively kneaded his hands in circles down his tense, shaking back and began to ease the taut muscles.  
  
Duo inhaled sharply at the contact at first, but he slowly started to regain control, the tears gradually subsiding to feeble whimpers as his breathing transited from painful gasps to normal. His surroundings became tangible as the looming black spots clouding his vision vanished and he realized he was practically crushing poor Wufei's midsection in his smothering clutch, even though the Asian showed no signs of discomfiture.  
  
"...Duo?"  
  
He pulled back hastily, wiping his red, puffy face with his fists forcibly to remove the salty moisture, but it didn't clean the fresh dread that lingered in his tired features. "I- I'm sorry, I just jumped on the first person within reach a- and I shouldn't've-"  
  
"Don't worry about it," Wufei cut in reassuringly, but he didn't seem satisfied. "I don't mind."  
  
Duo still refused to meet his understanding gaze.  
  
"It came back to haunt you didn't it? You thought if you went to sleep, you would wake up and find out it never happened," he said quietly. That got the braided slayer's attention real quick. "I know how the nightmare goes...You want to believe that escaping the reality would make it all go away, even if just for a little while, though it's only worse. Much, much worse."  
  
Duo shuddered visibly. "There was so much blood...pain...I was so scared..." he admitted hoarsely, his amethyst eyes darkening and were struggling to not let more tears fall. "Everyone within five blocks of us must have heard me screaming like a frightened little girl-" He recoiled.  
  
Wufei shook his head slightly, reaching over and brushing away a stray tear that had managed to leak out before taking him back in his arms unthinkingly. "There is no reason to be ashamed about that. If it helps any, I was the same way."  
  
"But-"  
  
"I will have no 'buts'," Wufei reproved firmly, "And nothing about how you're supposed to be a big, bad slayer or any of that bull. Look at me, I was a scholar and skilled fighter, yet I was able to concede to you that I had been just as weak and 'girlish'."  
  
Duo snickered. "Yeah, that's a -very- encouraging thought...Still, I won't sleep any easier."  
  
"You need to though. It'll merely make things worse if you force yourself to stay awake to avoid it."  
  
"And wait for nightmares like that to follow? Hell no, I'd rather become an insomniac, thank you very much," he snorted.  
  
"You're exhausted, what would you do if you were too tired to fight during your shift tonight? Rely on Trowa? I've watched him; he holds Quatre first on his list, no matter if he denies it," Wufei pointed out. "Just go back to sleep, I'll stay in here and wake you up if you start showing signs of having the dream again."  
  
"What about you?"  
  
"You heard Quatre, I can't go anywhere after what I did at the party. I can rest while you're out," he shrugged.  
  
"But-"  
  
"I am not going to repeat myself so stop arguing." Wufei started to rise, but Duo grabbed his wrist and made him stop.  
  
"Thanks 'Fei."  
  
Wufei only smiled as he let go of his wrist, pulling the computer chair from the desk a few feet away over so that it was right beside the bed.  
  
Duo fell asleep listening to him hum a song softly in Chinese.  
  
The nightmare didn't return.  
  
***  
  
It was time to make use of a favor an old...friend owed him.  
  
As soon as the sun went down, Heero immediately left his apartment to head downtown. There was a private club called 'The Marquee' in the more affluent part that his old 'friend' ran after dusk and resided in during the day along with his significant other.  
  
In his usual jeans and forest green tank top under his leather jacket, Heero stuck out like a sore thumb when he entered, met with the smooth, arousing sound of jazz and the sweet tang of cigar smoke. Despite his unruly appearance though, the purple haired woman tending the bar did not look at him in disregard, in fact she gave him a rather friendly greeting as she towel- dried shot glasses.  
  
"It's been a while Heero. What brings you in here?"  
  
"Noin, I want to speak with Zechs," Heero replied shortly.  
  
"He's busy right now," she answered, "I believe he's upstairs with Treize."  
  
"Hn..." His displeasure became clearly evident. "Go up there and tell -Milliardo- it's important. He'll disentangle himself from Kushrenada long enough to find time for me."  
  
Noin glanced at him sharply before nodding and opening a door behind the counter that led to the staircase. She reappeared in no time. "Zechs will be down in a minute."  
  
"Good."  
  
"So did you hear about Sally and the girls?" Noin asked in a would-be conversational way, trying to fill up the silence as she picked the shot glass towel back up. "Sally was supposed to go out with me that night after she took care of some 'business', she wouldn't tell me what the 'business' was though."  
  
"Hai." Heero kept neutral.  
  
The door opened and a tall, platinum blonde man stepped out into the smoky light, buttoning up his shirt and looking uneasy as he spotted the Japanese vampire sitting at the counter. He motioned him to follow to a more secluded table out of earshot.  
  
"What do you want Yuy?" Zechs inquired irritably.  
  
"We've got a problem," Heero said tersely. "You remember Wufei, don't you?"  
  
"Yeah, he was that attractive Asian you took on for us after I let Treize turn him," Zechs responded almost wistfully.  
  
"Hn." Heero narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "It seems you picked a wrong first target."  
  
"Me? Have faulty judgment? I don't think so. Why was he wrong? It's been over two years, and you just now want to complain about my choosing skills?"  
  
"He's sided with slayers Marquis."  
  
"What?! When did this happen?"  
  
"It started a few days ago. He went to one for help. Apparently, he has yet to realize the gift you and Treize had given him. Wufei thinks it's a curse. I've tried convincing him otherwise, but he wouldn't listen," he scowled darkly, pulling off his leather jacket and showing the bandaged forearm. "He attacked me with the slayer's weapon and ran off with him and his partners. I've done as much as I could within my power in this situation; I can't remedy it on my own. That's why I came to you. A traitor cannot be allowed to roam freely Milliardo."  
  
Zechs nodded in agreement. "Understood. Do you know the names of the slayers he's sided with?"  
  
"Only one. But if you find him, the other two are bound to be close by."  
  
"So I should put out the word for...?"  
  
"Duo Maxwell. He also calls himself Shinigami."  
  
*** 


	17. Apologizes Ch 17 uploaded!

Hey all my lovely reviewers!!!  
  
I sincerely apologize in the realllllllllly long delay in this chapter, but I got myself grounded from the computer, entirely, so I had to go for three days without Internet or being able to work on the story. *dies* Please forgive me! At least you're lucky I had to stay home from school today because I had to see the psycho-person doctor for undisclosed reasons, so I was able to work on the story all day to get it done just for you guys! See how much I love you? ^_^  
  
Now! About the chapter! I bring in MORE Gundam Wing characters!!!! *shiver* And one especially creepy one at that. I think you know who it is when I say C-R-E-E-P-Y. *shivers* I won't be able to watch Endless Waltz again without thinking of that anime music video of Rammstein's. You have to watch it. Man, and I thought Mariemaia was creepy before...now...*shiver* Ah well, I'll live. Anywho! We have alllllll sorts of fun with this! Lots!  
  
Reviews!  
  
Avenged Suffering: You just have to read to find out what happens. ^_^ And YES! Heero's just an evil jealous (sexy) vampire! Haha!  
  
KitsuneDewAddict: Wow. You read it ALL in ONE sitting? I feel special. ^_^ I've done that before with stories too! And you've read 'Of Blood And Tears'? Even more wow! ^_______^ But yes, the whole Zechs/Treize/Wufei/Heero thing is about to be explained a bit more, but yeah, Zechs chose him, Treize turned him, and Heero got stuck with the leftovers and never told Wufei about it. *sweatdrop* And we will have more scenes of Wufei with his mind in the gutter, since that seems one of the most popular demands in this fic so far! ^^;;; That, and I just love writing it. I don't think we'll be seeing tight pants anytime soon (unless they're on Zechs or Heero. *drool*), but I'll see what I can come up with. ^.~  
  
Lady Rune: Gomen ne for the spider thing! I thought that was nice and creep-worthy for the scene! ^_^ And no Wufei cuddling Duo...yet. Yet mind you. Yummy lemon-y goodness is in the near future though...  
  
Mars: The chapter was that good, eh? ^_^ Get ready to have more chills...*shiver* I'm bringing Mariemaia and Schitzo Une into the mix, so it's gonna get -really- creepy. ^_____^  
  
Ravenquills: Haha...I think alllll the reviewers have well established that Heero is indeed a bastard in my story. ^^;;;; I don't think he'll ever forgive me when I finish this fic. I think Treize and Zechs are kinda cute...*ahem*  
  
Lexington: Thankies! I'm glad you liked it! We have more fun in this chapter! ^_^  
  
Shella: YES! Now -that- is definitely my favorite kind of review. Nice long and lovely. ^_____^ And from my cooooolest reviewer- person! It's ok about that last review, I know exactly how you feel, it's annoying as heck. I think it was cause of those little '' signs. Did you have any of those in your review? Cause those tend to cut out parts of the review for some odd reason. But it's all good. And yes new characters are fun to make plot twists with, for good example, this chapter. *shiver* Mariemaia...the creepiest little girl ever. And yes, I like Sally and Noin together, I dunno, it's just that they interact really well in Endless Waltz, but that's just me. *shrug* And I like Zechs much better with Treize anyways. ^____^ I think Heero should've just killed Relena when he had the chance. Hence all my Relena bashing in all my stories. Enough said. And if you think Wufei humming Chinese is sweet, wait till you see what Wufei gets from Duo when he falls asleep! I think it's a bit too sappy for my taste, but it worked, so I'm happy. Happy reading my dearest Shella-chan!  
  
Yami Crystal: Heh, sorry about the shortness of the chapter. I've got all sorts of cliffhangers lined up for the next few chapters, so get used to the suspense! ^_____^  
  
Smiley-person: How can you sic Heero on me when I've got him locked away in his little evil closet? ^____^ But here's the next chapter anyways!!  
  
SanosukeLover- Milly Maxwell: Heh, one of the few who like my Evil Heero. They either think he's sexxah, or a straight out bastard. Ah well. I can't please them all, now can I?  
  
Solain Rhyo: No more deities? *shock* Heh. I'm glad you like my ficcy! ^___^  
  
Ryoko-onee: Ooo...Is this a new reviewer-person? Or have I seen you before? Either way...Thankies! Glad you're enjoying my little story. ^____^  
  
A Fan: *sweatdrop* Death threats do nothing but amuse me. ^_^  
  
Now that that's done and over with, I think you all wanna read the story, ne?  
  
Go! Read! Be free! ^_____^  
***  
  
Despite the promise that he would stay up to rouse Duo if need be; sometime during the course of the wait, Wufei had managed to find his way on to the edge of the bed and dozed off, his head resting on top of his right arm. The other was draped protectively over braided boy's pillow.  
  
That was how Duo discovered him when he woke up. He had rolled over on his back and stretched, nearly jumping out of his skin when something warm on his pillow had touched him. Once he realized it was only Wufei, all Duo was worried about was if he had disturbed him, but he hadn't.  
  
In fact, he looked quite peaceful.  
  
Seeing him lying there, Duo felt extremely guilty for so readily letting him stay up all day and keep watch solely to make sure -he- didn't have another nightmare. Having not been exactly in his right mind at the time, he didn't think twice about all the things Wufei must have gone through during the ordeal, or how much of a toll it had taken. He had just given in without a fight because he had been too damn tired to care.  
  
Duo gently combed some long, silky raven strands of hair from the Asian's tranquil, caramel complexioned face with a pensive frown turning the corners of his mouth down. For someone who seemed so caring and passionate about his beliefs of honor and moral, what did Wufei do that was so bad as to make the heavens thrust him into the accursed life of a vampire? In the entirety of the time Duo had spent with the Chinese teen, though short as it was, he had never once seen or heard of him doing anything so horrible that would put him into eternal damnation; everything he did had been for purely noble intentions. As far as he knew anyway, though even the things he had done that might have been considered bad, Wufei felt nothing but regret for, never satisfaction.  
  
Hell, Duo wouldn't have felt sorry for stabbing Heero, who more than well deserved a swift kick in the ass.  
  
But Wufei did. He had actually been sorry he had done it.  
  
You certainly didn't hear something like that very often. At least from a vampire anyways.  
  
All the more reason for him to help find a -feasible- cure. A good guy like him should not be forced to endure such torture just for being honest and sincere.  
  
Not while Shinigami still drew breath.  
  
With that thought in mind, Duo got up carefully and straightened out his sheets a bit before gently lifting Wufei from his uncomfortable position in the computer chair to his bed. He hesitated on letting go as his peaceful expression clouded briefly at the movement, though his touch lingered longer than it should have after the moment had passed as he finished tucking him in.  
  
Duo quietly gathered the things he needed and left a little note on the empty computer chair, taking one more glance at Wufei's slumbering form as he shut his bedroom door behind him.  
  
***  
  
Heero sat at the bar counter again, occasionally conversing with Noin, as Zechs and Treize took care of their end of the bargain. He didn't like going to the platinum blonde for aid, but he -was- the person to go to whenever you wanted something taken care of immediately, despite major character flaws, they were very efficient when it came to fighting tactics.  
  
Ever since the incident with Wufei though, Heero had lost respect for Zechs because of the way he had handled it, and he had never been tolerant of Treize to begin with. Personally, he had yet to turn a human himself, but he had been taught that if you made the choice to do so, you had to assume -some- responsibility for your actions. You had to teach them the basics of how to live their new life before kicking them to the curb.  
  
They didn't do that. Zechs had basically used Wufei as an object for Treize to toy with, the fact that he happened to look handsome was only an added bonus; they hadn't counted on him being turned as a result. Already having his 'hands full' with Treize, Zechs had approached Heero and asked him to take the Asian as his own charge in exchange of him owing a big favor.  
  
Heero didn't know why he had agreed, but he did. So now he was making use of the favor long overdue to him. It was almost ironic how the reason he had a debt owed to him ended up being the exact thing he was getting paid back for.  
  
Glancing up at the blue neon clock, Heero stepped down from the barstool with a curt farewell to Noin before leaving the Marquee for his rendezvous with a certain braided slayer.  
  
***  
  
A nice shower does wonders to a poor, aching body.  
  
Duo came out into the living room with a sigh of content, meticulously braiding his damp chestnut hair over his shoulder, feeling relaxed. Something he hadn't been in a good too many days. And he actually looked half-decent too. No cuts, bruises, lacerations, or foreign objects of any kind on or in him. Yaay.  
  
Now Quatre and Trowa on the other hand...Duo had nearly forgotten about his little episode earlier in the midst of his rejuvenation until he entered the room with a semi-cheerful smile and was met by tired jade and another extremely fidgety cerulean pair of eyes.  
  
"Aa...I'm sorry guys- I-"  
  
"Are you sure you want to go out with us tonight?" Trowa asked tentatively.  
  
"What?" Duo frowned, standing in front of the couple with his weaving hands stopping halfway through the plait.  
  
"Well- what he means, is after this morning..." Quatre continued nervously, chewing his bottom lip. "If you're not up to it, we'd understand..."  
  
"Oh, I see," he proceeded to finish his braid rather forcibly and the empath winced at the flat tone in his voice. "So Poor Duo has a bad dream and suddenly isn't competent enough to go on with his duties, is that it? No, you're not worried about that. You're worried about what caused it. You're afraid of what might happen if we ran into Heero tonight, and don't say it's not true. Wufei told me everything from the party."  
  
"He knows how to get under your skin Duo," Trowa replied, seeming unperturbed by his outburst.  
  
"I'm not stupid!" he shot back angrily. "Despite popular belief, I -do- learn from my mistakes, damn it!"  
  
"Who said you were stupid? You're not! We just don't want you to get hurt!" Quatre exclaimed, looking offended at Duo for even considering that they would think he was stupid. "This is over our heads. You're in too deep to get out now, we're only trying to keep you alive through it all."  
  
Duo scowled. "I can take care of myself."  
  
"Sure proved that last night, now didn't you?" Trowa inquired caustically.  
  
"Trowa!" The blonde stared in disbelief at his lover.  
  
"Fine, if it's gonna be like that then I'll just leave and prove it myself!" Duo snapped, snatching his jacket from the hall closet and slamming the apartment door behind him.  
  
"What the hell is your problem?" Quatre asked, getting up from the loveseat and heading to the door.  
  
As realization hit, Trowa's eyes went wide. "I don't know what came over me...I'm sorry."  
  
"Don't apologize to me! You're the one that drove Duo out of here, apologize to him!" Quatre rushed out into the hall, but the braided boy was long gone.  
  
***  
  
Duo was so beside himself that he didn't have the patience to bother with the elevator. He just kicked in the stairwell door and went down through there instead, he wouldn't be surprised if people complained from his loud stomping.  
  
He could take care of himself! He didn't need other people fawning over him all the damn time because they don't think he can do it himself!  
  
But as Duo's edgy temper cooled as he walked down the sidewalk, he began to see where Quatre and Trowa had been coming from. They had been right, he probably -shouldn't- be out at all for at least a day or two...but he hated feeling useless, like unneeded baggage. He had to be doing -something-, even if it was the wrong thing, if it made him useful.  
  
Once again, Duo has opened his big mouth and inserted his foot. Wasn't a first, and it more than likely wouldn't be the last time. Still, he felt like an asshole for the way he had treated his partners. He took a deep breath, settling the last of his nerves as he turned to head back home, but a little girl took hold of his arm and tugged on it.  
  
"Can you help me?"  
  
Duo stooped down until he was eye level. The girl appeared no more than maybe seven or eight, with short, boyish red hair combed back behind her ears and chilling blue eyes that stood out predominately from her pale milky skin. She wore a cute petite camisole dress with a matching cardigan; a lot like an outfit Shirley Temple might have worn in the movies.  
  
"What can I do for you Miss...?" Duo trailed of questionably for a name. He couldn't quite place it, though all he could think was that the girl was -creepy-.  
  
"Mariemaia. Do you know where the Sunnydale apartments are? I've lost my parents, but I know that was where they were going."  
  
"Umm..." he paused. "Yeah, they're a couple of blocks down, past the park." Duo pointed behind him.  
  
Mariemaia's doleful expression brightened up. "Could you take me there? Please?"  
  
"Er..." He wanted to say 'no'...but she -was- only a little girl..."All right."  
  
Her smile widened and she latched onto his arm, dragging him through the crowd.  
  
Wasn't he supposed to be the one leading the way?  
  
Duo's unease grew as he was pulled along and he glanced around, trying to locate the source. With the girl Mariemaia with him, he couldn't rightly whip out any of his weapons unless he wanted to scare her shitless, though he could sense the presence of vampires shielding themselves. Not exactly where, but they were -there-.  
  
"Mariemaia!"  
  
The red haired girl stopped and abruptly released her grip on him as two people waved to them from the entrance to the park. The man was tall, with ginger colored hair like Mariemaia and odd eyebrows, and the woman had long light brown hair pulled into two braided buns at the neck with feathery bangs falling into her glasses covered eyes. As they approached him, the butterflies in his stomach fluttered wildly.  
  
"These are my 'parents', thank you for helping me Mister Duo."  
  
His heart stopped. Duo had not told Mariemaia his name.  
  
Someone came up from behind and laid a firm grip on his shoulders.  
  
"I do believe a person you know very well has a score to finish with you...Shinigami."  
  
Boy was he screwed.  
  
*** 


	18. Chapter 18

Oi...DVG has been watching WAY, WAY too much Sailor Stars episodes...I went Haruka/Michiru-happy, so you're gonna see some of their playful influence in Quatre and Trowa. I didn't even realize it until I went back and re-read the chapter for errors. (Bad DVG, no more Stars episodes for you! *MEEP*) No matter how many times I watch Stars, I still bawl like a baby when Haruka and Michiru die...*sniffle* Sorry to say, but they are my favorite couple in Sailor Moon, second being Usagi and Seiya (guy or girl Seiya, doesn't matter to me). They would've been such a kawaii couple if Mamoru had just stayed dead after Galaxia killed him. But noooo...He just -had- to come back to life. *sigh*  
  
Anyways, now that I have that particular rant out of the way...  
  
You guys are so gonna hate me for this chapter. I know you will. I just know it. *evil grin*  
  
*ahem* I think I've gotten all my little notes out of the way, so now-  
  
REVIEWS!  
  
Ryoko-onee: Don't you just hate school? *sigh* If there weren't any school, I could spend more time on the Internet looking at hentai- er- reading wonderful stories and downloading doushinji. ^^;;;;; I'm glad you like this though!  
  
A Fan: Haha. Don't you just -love- death threats?  
  
Lexington: Yep, Duo be screwed. He'll be even more screwed by the end of this chapter. Royally screwed. But oh well, it'll all pan out eventually.  
  
LadyRune: Seriously! I know -I- would've just shot Mariemaia right off the bat. *shiver* Though of course, it was all part of the plan of Duo getting caught. But isn't there some macabre humor in this? With just about every GW character being a vampire (or in Relena's case, an 'it')...Kinda funny.  
  
Smiley-person: Yaay! An interesting twist! Hmm...Well I hope you think the same for this chapter.  
  
Dark Ice: *shiver* Mariemaia IS creepy. I can't watch Endless Waltz without getting a good shiver from watching her. Especially after watching an anime music video with Endless Waltz to Rammstein's 'Fire Freui' (or however the heck that thing is spelled), where the person timed the lyrics to her speaking scenes. It made her seem even creepier if possible. *shiver* Glad you're enjoying this!  
  
Solain Rhyo: HAHA! I love that! 'I've always hated Mariemaia; now I hate her more.' I couldn't help but laugh at that. Be prepared for more lovely twists and turns I'm getting ready to throw at you all. It's gonna get -very- intense. And -very- soon. Especially when Wufei finds out what Heero's done to his precious Duo...*AHEM* Eh, you didn't just read that. But yeah! Awwww...I'm the reason you check FF.net everyday? Awwww...I feel special now. I now have a third coolest reviewer-person!!!!! *huggles Solain*  
  
Shella: And now my -first- coolest reviewer-person!!! WEEEEEEE! I got TWO reviews!!!! *does a little happy dance (I told you, I've been watching too much Stars)* AH! Mariemaia is EVIL! I can't remember if she inherited her father's evil eyebrows or not. Hm...But yeah, she's Treize and Leia Barton's daughter. If you ever come upon a copy of 'Gundam Wing: Episode Zero', it'll explain EVERYTHING you need to know about the main characters. Heero is actually the reason she was born, in a weird, morbid way. Cause when he was eight, him and Odin (his guardian) had infiltrated a base to assassinate General Septim, and at the time Treize was only captain of the Special Forces unit. Heero blew up Treize mobile suit with a bazooka (who ever thought that an EIGHT YEAR OLD could hold a huge bazooka?), and he was taken to the Barton Hospital where he met Leia, and obviously they hit things off nurse/patient style. Yech. Now if DOROTHY and Treize had hit the sheets...Oh dear lord, poor Mariemaia would have the worst case of Odd Eyebrows ever seen...ANYWAYS! Ah, the indecision between sincere caring and indulging you lusts...Woo buddy, I'm gonna be delving so far into that, it's gonna be nuts. ^_^ Of course, what story of mine isn't nuts? In the upcoming chapter, we're gonna see some kawaii-ness Wufei moments and Duo...well, being stuck in quite the awkward situation with the lusting half of the pairings in this fic. *ahem* If that made any sense whatsoever. But yeah, basically saying- There's gonna be a lot of drama, lewdness, angst, and kawaii-ness (God what a mix, eh?). You make perfect sense to me, it's just that I don't make sense even to myself sometimes, but that's okay, all geniuses think alike, right? And yes, Noin is definitely one of my top choices amongst the females in GW, though I can't remember what made me realize I wasn't straight. It just happened. *shrug* who knows, eh? Maybe my obsession with Haruka and Michiru should've been a big hint...But yeah! Of course that sentence was meant to be taken the hentai way? Why do you think I wrote it the way I did? ^______^ *hentai grin* I couldn't help myself. And the 'Yaay' was just total sarcasm. Kinda like 'Big Whoop-de-doo'. But it still amused me enough to keep it there. ^_^ Speaking of hentai-ness...When I read that first quote you recommended, I about fell over laughing when I read '...he also had a really big mouth, so he could swallow it very easily.' Man, if you think about it...*AHEM* Cute quotes though. ^_^ Ooo...Harry Potter slash. And Harry and Draco...*sigh* I found some lovely fanart on a website that featured a very luverly kiss between them. It was really good. And you had a video of Orlando giving Viggo a wet -n- slobbery? W00t! Where is this video? (God I am such a hentai.) ANYWHO! I got TWO reviews! *happy dance* I feel loved. *snuggle* You're the bestest Shella- chan!  
  
Mad Hatter: Crap? What is this crap you speak of? Does it bite? Is it something tasty? W00t. *sweatdrop* Don't mind me. My responses to reviews tend to get crazier and crazier as I get through them all, so don't mind me, I'm just the insane author. ^_~ Glad you're liking this story so far!  
  
Mars: Haha! So where the hell -did- you go, eh? Off somewhere to snog with the Wuffie-kins? ^____^ I know I would. Ooo...Warm and squishy...That reminds me of the next chapter. Jell-O style Wufei. ^_____^ Just wanna suck him all up. EEP. Man, I'll be damned before I ever turn down a person offering me -any- of the G-boys. *dreamy sigh* I'd take 'em all in a heartbeat. Of course bad things happen to good bishies, but you know in the end, it'll be worth all the pain and suffering. ^_~ Don't you just love lemon-y shounen-ai? No more falling off the face of the Earth!  
  
*ahem* Anyways...I'm guessing you're all wanting to read the next chapter, right?  
  
Well go already!!!! Read! ^_________^ Just remember to review afterwards and feed this author's big ego!  
***  
  
He didn't know how the hell he did it, but Duo managed to keep himself perfectly composed as he was steered away from the park entrance by the person with his hands on his shoulders. The only thing that might have given him away was the sweat beginning to gather on his brow.  
  
Duo didn't dare try to pull anything yet, no, there were too many bystanders. It was probably the reason he was being kept on the sidewalk. He attempted to clear out all the thoughts running through his mind, hoping maybe that Quatre wasn't mad at him enough to not leave himself open.  
  
'Q-man...Quatre, please, please, please get this...' Duo squeezed his eyes shut tightly, focusing only sending out a mental SOS signal, if it could be called that.  
  
Whoever had a hold on him shoved him forward roughly and let go. "Contacting anybody won't help..." he said smoothly. "And escape is impossible. You're surrounded."  
  
Oh well, he -tried- didn't he?  
  
"Like I didn't realize that," Duo replied sarcastically. "Shit, do I -really- look THAT dumb to people?"  
  
He didn't have to see the others, but he could sense the man and woman from the park nearby, following them. He wouldn't be surprised if Mariemaia was wandering around with them too because there were definitely more than his captor and the other two. A good four or five at most.  
  
Wasn't he the lucky one? Who wouldn't want a bloodsucking entourage leading him to possibly his doom? Eh, that sounded a bit too melodramatic.  
  
The moral of tonight: Listen when your friends tell you not go out after a near-death experience. They're gonna be right nine times out of ten.  
  
"No, not dumb. Certainly pretty though. Especially when you're scared."  
  
"Why doesn't that comfort me?" Duo fought the urge to shiver when the guy laughed.  
  
"It wasn't supposed to," he answered amusedly.  
  
He chanced a quick glimpse over his shoulder. The throng around him was beginning to thin as they reached the outskirts of the city and he began formulating his plan. His 'captor' didn't seem too difficult, a tall man with long silvery hair and a reasonable build; but it was the others hidden in the crowd, how far away they were, how fast they would react. There were a lot of variables to take into consideration.  
  
Two near-death experiences within a twenty-four hour time span -cannot- be good for a person's health.  
  
***  
  
When Quatre returned to the living room, Trowa had already gathered their weapons and was pushing him back out the door again.  
  
"Come on..." he jabbed the elevator buttons impatiently. "Forget it, where are the stairs?"  
  
Trowa went on to the stairwell Duo had kicked in a while beforehand, but Quatre wasn't following. He stood still in front of the closed elevator doors, a look of stricken panic passing over his face as he held a hand to his chest. It felt like all his insides had turned to ice.  
  
"What's wrong?" Trowa asked, returning to his side.  
  
"I- I don't know, it was so sudden, my heart just stopped," the empath shook himself to get rid of the chills.  
  
"Could it be...we're too late then?"  
  
Quatre's fearful expression fixated itself on his delicate features. "We've got to go find Duo!"  
  
The two took off down the staircase and out onto the sidewalk, flitting around through the masses with long practiced agility while scanning for any sign of their braided comrade. They came to halt at the entrance to the park, Quatre's façade now one of intense concentration as he turned his gaze over the location, though serious concern was beginning to filter in.  
  
"I can't sense anything, nothing at all," he finally said, his voice quiet. "This was where he panicked, but after that, I can't detect -anything-. It's like he just disappeared out of existence."  
  
"Damn," Trowa swore softly, "What is going on...Don't worry, little one," he put a reassuring arm around the blonde's slender waist. "Duo cannot have 'just disappeared', he's -somewhere-. We merely have to find where somewhere is."  
  
"I don't like the feel of this...Not at all." Quatre replied, his brow furrowed. "It's a game of cat-and-mouse and we're stuck in the stands, tortured as we're allowed to only watch, not able to help."  
  
"We can still try...We have to, I won't rest easy until I've properly apologized. If it weren't for my rudeness, we wouldn't be in this situation right now," Trowa sighed heavily. "I don't know what came over me."  
  
"Fate is funny like that. Maybe we are meant only to be in the stands and watch as its twisted game unfolds, but we cannot let that happen," The empath brushed his fingertips lightly through the taller boy's hair encouragingly. "No matter what. So let's leave the stands and jump into the game. No more holding back."  
  
"Since when have you held back?"  
  
"I was talking about our current predicament, not our bedroom...Though I know, as long as I'm with you, everything will be okay..." [1]  
  
***  
  
There weren't any crowds on the sidewalk.  
  
Duo knew exactly where he was being led to as the approached their destination.  
  
The spacious yards, big houses, the woods surrounding them. They were returning to the mini-mansion where the freak party had been. Or still was, one could never tell, sometimes those things lasted for days depending on how many people are there. He reckoned that the party was far from over, because of the time wasted when his friends and Heero had made a scene, it had to be made up for.  
  
Definitely not what this certain slayer wanted.  
  
Duo revised his scheme; he would wait until they were underneath the willow trees to make a break away. Without the pedestrians obstructing his view, he could pick out the other members of his fanged train, the women with glasses was across the street, walking with her arms linked with another female with dark purple hair, conversing quietly with each other. Judging by the number of footsteps behind him, Duo surmised that Odd Eyebrows had joined with his silver-haired 'abductor'. He couldn't pick out the creepy Mariemaia from anywhere nearby, unless she was farther back and out of hearing range. Well, at least he didn't have to worry about being guilty of having to fight with a little girl, vampire or not, it would still make him feel like a big bully.  
  
As the previously mentioned mini-mansion loomed into view, Duo swallowed audibly. 'Yep, the party's still alive- er- Undead and kicking...Damn,' he cursed. This was going to be very tricky. How do you dodge vampire stalkers when they can sic a whole building full of fellow bloodsuckers on you in a heartbeat?  
  
The two women crossed the road and walked ahead of the braided slayer. Much too soon for his preference, the five of them were entering the sweeping branches of the willow trees and the window of his escape grew slim.  
  
It was now or never.  
  
Duo took a deep breath and without warning dove off to the side, ducking behind the thick gnarled tree trunk as he pulled out his gun. Thanking God for the invention of silencer enhancements, he shot wildly around the trunk in the general direction of the vampires and staggered backwards to get out the way they had come in as he continued shooting, not even hesitating to see if he had actually hit anything.  
  
Bursting out of the leafy curtain, Duo tripped up as he turned around and stumbled, crashing head-on into a leather jacketed chest. He didn't even need to see who it was; he just scrambled to his feet and sprinted off down the walk, wanting to get away from them all. He ran as fast as he could, but with every step it seemed as if someone were filling his legs with lead, weighing him down.  
  
Within only ten meters of the willow trees, he could go no further.  
  
He was rooted to the spot, unable to move.  
  
Duo went ice cold.  
  
Then darkness took him.  
  
***  
  
God, don't you just hate when that happens? One minute you're running, then the next- *poof!* you're out like a light. *shakes head* Bad plot twists, no cookie for you! ^_________^  
  
[1]If you've ever watched Stars, in almost -every- scene with Haruka and Michiru together, they're talking about what they do in bed. That's some funny stuff now. *nod nod* Everything else is the lovely, sappy tearjerkers that make me need a box of tissues every time I watch. ^^;;;; 


	19. Chapter 19

*sweatdrop* Eh, I know that last chapter was a bit...-crappy- to say the least...but that's because all the good stuff is happening in THIS chapter! Or at least -beginning- in this chapter. Next chapter is the big, final, major blow up between Wufei and Heero. And boy is it gonna be fun! ^_^  
  
I was gonna have Heero be a total bastard in this chapter, but I just couldn't help myself. When DVG watches too much Stars (and obviously has no life), she just -can't- bastardize anybody. So the Duo/Heero predicament takes a nice little twist instead of the expected bastardization of everyone's favorite Wing Zero pilot. ^_^;;; *gulp* It won't keep him from hating me even more though. Good thing he's still locked away in his little evil closet so he can't strangle me. *watches closet warily*  
  
And for my Shella-chan, I have some Noin action. ^____^ I am such a suck-up sometimes.  
  
Duo: -SOMETIMES-?  
  
*sits on Duo* Shush you. OH! And I have fun with Wufei. ^______________________^ I know I'm gonna be having lots of reviewers going all fan-girly over this...  
  
Wufei: Jell-O...*eye twitch* I will get revenge for this injustice. Just you wait. I'll let Heero out of the closet and we'll get revenge. *nod nod*  
  
O.O;;;; *ahem* Well, how about those reviews, eh?  
  
Mars: Yaay! I'm not the only one who sobs when Haruka and Michiru die! ^___^;;;; To see such love end the way it did...*sniffle* But yeah! *ahem* Yeah, there's a lot of important things in the last chapter to make note of. Heh. Especially when it involves near-death experiences. *nod nod* Gomen ne for the cliffie! I promise the cliffhanger in this chapter isn't nearly as bad! I swear! I even make up for it with yummy Wuffie-ness!!! Jell-O Wufei! ^_______^ Yummy...*drools*  
  
IchigoPocky: Hehe...*sweatdrop* Gomen nasai!!! Me and my evil cliffhangers...And Duo will be helped! Don't worry! And don't sulk! Sulking is not good! Smile! Be happy! ^____^ Snuggle the Jell-O Wuffie-bear!  
  
Lexington: Heh, yesh, torturous events loom in the horizon...*evil grin* I'm so bad sometimes. But it's okay, you still luff me, right? ^_^;;;  
  
Lady Rune: Heh, yes, poor Duo. Poor, poor Duo. And it only gets worse before it gets better...  
  
Smiley-person: Huh? Eh? o.O;;  
  
Solus Nox: Yep! I've updated a helluva lot since you last reviewed! ^___^ I try my hardest to get new chapters in as fast as I can to keep my lovely reviewers appeased. So you like the way I've written the characters? Yaay! At least someone does! *evil look at the sulking G-boys (with the exception of Heero because he's locked in the evil closet)* I wish they were real too...*dreamy sigh* I'd kidnap them all and make them marry me! ^_______^ w00t!  
  
SanosukeLover- Milly Maxwell: OOooooOOOooo...GUMMI BEARS!!!!! Heh. *sweatdrop* I'm normal...Now why would I go and hurt Duo- channerz? I would kill myself before I did that. Hell, I couldn't even make Heero shoot Duo in 'Nowhere To Run', so I don't think I could make myself write anything bad happening to my adorable Shinigami at the hands of another G-boy in -this- story. ^^;;;  
  
Solain Rhyo: Ooo...Beer...beer and giant gummi bears...oooo...*ahem* Anyways- Awww, you admire my writing? *blush* I'm honored. And yes you got huggles, you're one of my favorite reviewer people!!! ^___^ *huggle*  
  
Dark Peppermint: Yeah, I know the last chapter was a bit short and all, but I couldn't fit any more into it without having to combined it with this entire chapter. All the fun stuff is beginning in this chapter! So hopefully, it'll make up for that last chapter! ^_^  
  
Iruka Yuywell: Yep, yep. Treize turned Wufei (on accident), though Zechs had turned Treize. I thought it would be amusing in its own twisted way, seeing how Wufei hates Treize so much in the show. ^^;;; I'm a twisted person, what else could you expect? And yes, you HAVE to see Stars!! It is by far the BEST of all the Sailor Moon series', hands down! I have the website where I ordered my fansubs if you want it, it only cost me 35 bucks to buy the whole series, which is -really- cheap considering that the series has -nine- tapes in it. ^_^  
  
Mais Non, Mon Ami: Here's more of the story! ^^;;;;  
  
Yaay! Okay, I think that's all the reviews! ^_____^ Now go read! Be happy! Or not...either way.  
  
Just don't kill the author.  
***  
  
Lavender vanilla.  
  
Lots of lavender vanilla.  
  
Wufei hovered uncertainly between drifting lazily back to sleep or rousing himself from the overwhelming fragrance relaxing him so much so that all his muscles felt like Jell-O. He supposed the latter was probably the best, but then it meant he would have to break the moment of absolute contentment he was having.  
  
Taking his time, Wufei sort of oozed over onto his side in his gelatin state, extremely reluctant about leaving the warm cocoon of strongly (Duo-)scented blankets-  
  
Wait. Blankets? He forced his leaden eyes open. He had fallen asleep on the chair -by- the bed, not in the bed. Yet he was in Duo's bed and it had obviously been the slayer who had put him there.  
  
Another kind warmth flared up in his cheeks at the assessments of his position, making him squirm slightly. Why he reacted like that was beyond his understanding; it was only a bed and he had presumably been put there out of sympathetic concern. That's all.  
  
Strength trickled back into his limp limbs and the drowsy haziness cleared away as Wufei sat up, pushing his loose, messy hair out of his eyes uneasily.  
  
Something seemed wrong.  
  
He couldn't say exactly what, but he was having an unsettling vibe replace the previous peace, not quite obtrusively though, it hovered along the edges of his thought mockingly.  
  
Glancing around the room as if it would give him an answer, Wufei caught the bright green sticky-note placed on the backrest of the computer chair and peeled it off as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Duo's quick scribble covered nearly the entire sticky-note.  
  
'Wu-  
  
If you get this before we return from our shift, then we're still out (go figure, eh?), but anyways, if you do...well...help yourself to whatever's in the apartment, with the exception of Q- man's and Unibang's room 'cause you never know -what- you'll find in there, just don't miss me too much! Heh, we'll be back soon!  
  
-D'  
  
Wufei reread the note, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips; he could almost picture the amused smirk Duo must have had when writing it, given some of its contents and insinuations.  
  
It didn't quell the weird vibe though.  
  
He stood, stretching languidly and rolling his shoulders to work out kinks before even attempting to tackle his way across the disorderly bedroom (where was a shovel when you needed it?). Wufei paused as he grasped the doorknob, he could faintly sense two slayer approaching, it had to be the empath and his partner by the intensity contrast, one was almost overly warm while the other was only mildly so. Heading out into the living room, Wufei came in as the front door swung open and the couple entered.  
  
At the amount of distress on Quatre's face, that worried him more than his vibe. "What's going on?"  
  
"We need you to help us- we've looked everywhere we could think of- but-" the blonde bit his lower lip.  
  
"We can't find Duo."  
  
***  
  
Heero made sure to remove all of Duo's weapons before throwing the unconscious boy over his shoulder and handing them to Zechs, who looked at them as if they would jump up and bite him on the nose. He had hated using such a cheap tactic on the braided slayer, but if it got him what he wanted, then all would be amended.  
  
"The slayer's partners weren't able to detect you, correct?"  
  
"Maxwell was alone," Treize replied smoothly.  
  
"Hn...Noin, Une, go back and give them my message; Zechs, you and Khushrenada stay out here and watch for their arrival," Heero instructed. "More than likely, they've gone to retrieve Wufei from whatever hole they've hidden him in to assist in their search, but I want to be certain."  
  
With that, he turned away from the four and walked into the willow branches, carrying Duo.  
  
"Are we sure this is the right thing to do?" Noin asked, watching the swishing branches the Japanese vampire had disappeared behind doubtfully. "This seems a bit -much- to be solely for one person."  
  
"Lucrezia, he's a traitor. We can't have traitors giving away all of our secrets to the slayers," Zechs answered shortly.  
  
Noin was still dubious, though held her tongue as Une took her by the arm and led her away from the men.  
  
"Don't worry, I agree with you," she said quietly, glancing back at the large house. "I have a feeling there's more to this that we aren't being told of."  
  
"Yes, but at least I'm not the only person who believes that," Noin smiled slightly. "However, I wish we did know the rest of the story, so we could judge for ourselves."  
  
Une shrugged. "Who does know? I don't think even Milliardo has been clued in to the whole truth. We'll find out eventually, let's just do as we're told for now and get it over with."  
  
She nodded slowly. "I suppose..."  
  
***  
  
Duo winced as he came to. His head was pounding like crazy and his stomach churned nauseatingly from the disgusting mix of smells that flooded his system when he reached consciousness. There was something disturbingly familiar about them too, and when realization hit, he bolted upright with fear briefly flashing across his face.  
  
The room was devoid of people, but this was the house where Duo had been just a day before. The sounds of the party throbbed through the walls of the room, emanating up from the floor, though there was no one in there with him.  
  
Or so he thought.  
  
"Took you long enough to wake up."  
  
Duo instantly whirled around, nearly falling off the couch he was on in the process, and managed to muster a partial glare. "Damn it, don't do sneak up on me like that!"  
  
"Should have looked behind you," Heero replied indifferently, pushing himself off of the wall and sauntering around the couch. Duo reached for his holster...only to find that it wasn't there.  
  
"You're wasting your time if you're searching for your weapons. They've been removed."  
  
"Great..." He kept his gaze trained on the plush burgundy carpet, Heero had stopped right in front of him and if he turn it up all his would see is a certain part of male anatomy covered by tight jeans that he really did not need to see. "I take it you didn't want a repeat of last time, eh?"  
  
"I took certain precautions. It doesn't matter, soon -everything- will be taken care of," Heero said carefully.  
  
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean? You're not gettin' an inch near -my- jugular vein if that's what you mean," Duo retorted, both frustrated and somewhat apprehensive. Frustrated because he felt vulnerable without any sort of protection in this situation, though he wasn't about to show it, and fearful for the same reasons. If he couldn't worm his way out of this mess...Who can tell what might happen?  
  
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Heero smirked slightly. "I can't say that it wouldn't be a plus if I did, but there's more to it. There's a traitor hiding from us; I'm going to get rid of him before any valuable information leaks out and you're the means to his end."  
  
Duo went red and with an angry scowl he shoved Heero away, making him stumble back a bit as he stood up. "Why the hell can't you leave Wufei alone? He has done NOTHING to you- nothing at all- yet you treat him like shit! You wonder why he's so scornful, but if you ever had the decency to actually say something NICE to the guy, you might not get a snide remark! Did you ever think about that?!"  
  
Heero's expression went completely unreadable. "You don't seem to realize...Wufei -has- done something though, something that I never thought possible..." He stepped forward again and, much to the braided slayer's surprise, hesitated waveringly as he reached out, placing an unsure hand on his flushing cheek. "...how was he able to get so close to such a beautiful person without being considered a monster? What is really so different that you despise me, yet care for him?"  
  
Duo couldn't pull away, he was pinned between the body in front of and the couch behind him, the fact that he seemed to be having difficulty breathing, let alone even speaking, properly didn't help any. His heart beat wildly in his chest, making him feel lightheaded. "I- I- I-" He looked up into the Japanese vampire's face and was utterly shocked.  
  
Heero was struggling to hide it, but his cold mask was falling slowly, showing the hurt that wasn't intended to be shown.  
  
***  
  
(DVG currently can't come up with any witty ending comments since she is being chased down by Jell-O Injustice Boy and Sexxah Fanged Heero, whom are both swearing in multiple languages and vowing revenge. *MEEP* Bad DVG, no more Starbucks iced Caramel Machiattos for her.)  
  
Tune in next time for the big, final, major blow up between the kawaii Asian G-boys! WEEEEE!  
  
^________________^ 


	20. Chapter 20

First off, I wanna apologize for the lateness of this chapter, knowing how you all have been so impatiently waiting for it *coughsarcasmcough*, but I've been -reallllly- busy the past couple of days. Cause it was my BIRTHDAY!!!!!! ^______________^ Three days of partying. Can't beat that. Well, maybe you -could- , but still! I'm FINALLY 16! *does a little happy dance*  
  
*ahem* Now that I have that out of the way...Boy did I have FUN writing this chapter. *evil cackle* I am -so- going to get killed for this chapter. ^_____^ Though, I'm more worried about Jell-O Injustice Boy and Sexxah Fanged Heero than any rabid reviewers...(well, okay, there's a few scary reviewers that I should worry about...*sweatdrop*)...*looks around warily* Who knows when they'll pop out of nowhere and try to strangle me? MEEP! o.O;;;  
  
I was gonna have this awesome fight...but once I start writing, I can't force myself to write stuff my inspiration doesn't want, and apparently, it didn't want a violent fight scene. Yet. Hence the 'yet'. It's highly intrigued by all the people mentioning a lovely 1x2x5 threesome. I can't deny that I haven't thought about it, considering how I keep changing Heero and Wufei and Duo's feelings towards each other constantly (which I'm sure is driving you all INSANE), though I don't want to weird anyone out with a threesome. -I- certainly have no room to talk *coughblushcough*...But I know a lot of people are freaked out by threesomes, so maybe if I get enough positive responses in reviews...You just don't know what my inspiration might come up with. *evil grin*  
  
Duo: *sweatdrop* You're such a hentai DVG.  
  
I know. ^_______________^ But you still love me, ne Duo-chan? *chibi eyes*  
  
Duo: Er...of course I do...*pats her head* You're -special-.  
  
YES! *happy dance* REVIEWS!  
  
Harlequin Light: ^_^;;; I try my hardest to update quickly. I know how much -I- hate it when it takes an author forever to update, so I try not to be the same way. If that makes any sense. But I'm glad you're enjoying this little story so far!!  
  
SanosukeLover- Milly Maxwell: Heh, I see I didn't bastardize Heero too much in the last chapter, now did I? It gets better! Not only Duo's feelings change, but so do others'! ^^;;; I'm so evil I scare myself sometimes...  
  
Ichigo Pocky: Don't worry, I'm just as torn about who I should pair Duo with too! ^^;;; That's the main reason I keep throwing these whammy plot twists at you poor reviewers! Cause I can't make up my damn mind!  
  
Solain Rhyo: *modest blush* Now I don't think it was -that- great...But if you like it, then it's all good. ^_^ Gummi bears scare you? *blink blink* That's a new one.  
  
LadyRune: *glomps* It's reviewers like you that make me feel all hentai-happy inside! *snuggle* One of many reviewers who suggested a threesome...^_^ All will be right with the universe...eventually.  
  
Mars: YOINKS? *bursts out laughing so hard she falls from her computer chair* Interesting word...*wipes tears from eyes* And yes, it's ALWAYS the Angst-Filled Bishie Eyes that grab the reader! Haha! It's so true! Just like no one can refuse Quatre or Duo's Chibi Eyed Pouts, no one can resist the power of the Angst-Filled Bishie Eyes! ^______^ And I'm not dead! (Yet *eyes Heero and Wufei cautiously, both of whom are trying to look completely innocent despite the dangerous weapons in their hands aimed at her*) You're gonna hate this cliffhanger. I don't know -why- I can't go without just ONE chapter not having a cliffhanger. I'm just evil like that. Buwaha. Maybe this time you'll have a same day review! Don't sulk! Be happy! ^_^  
  
Lexington: Yaay! I'm luffed! *snuggle* Heh, Duo and Heero in a room...together...Now it's gonna be Duo, Heero, AND Wufei...in a room...together...Buwaha.  
  
Iruka-Yuywell: ANOTHER reviewer who suggested 1x2x5 threesome bliss!! *snuggles her to death* I luff reviewers like you! ^_______^  
  
Smiley-person: Don'tcha worry, Wu-chan, I haven't forgotten about you. *winks* You get plenty of action in this chapter. (Wufei gets a nosebleed) NOT that kind of action! Sometimes I think you're more of a hentai than me and Duo combined!  
  
Duo: Hey! I resemble that remark!  
  
Point proven. ^___^  
  
Ryoko-Onee: GOMEN NASAI! *bows apologetically* I just can't help myself when it comes to cliffhangers! And Heero does more than just puts the moves on Duo...Poor Wufei...*foreshadowing* Have fun reading! ^_^  
  
Yami Crystal: Shocked? In Awe? Wow...that's a rarity. Well be prepared for this chapter then, cause there's a lot more surprises where the last chapter came from!  
  
Sakusha-san: OoooOooooOOoo...haiku. Awesome! ^______^ I'm glad you're enjoying my torturous cliffhangers!  
  
Dark Ice: Wow, another awed reviewer. I feel special. But yes, we're certainly going to have a big confrontation, but it's a lot different then I thought it would be. ^_^ In a good way of course!  
  
Shella: Yaay! My favorite reviewer-person!!!! *snuggle* I'm -your- favorite person now? Awwww...I am honored. ^____^ If you liked the brief revelation of Heero's 'third dimension', wait until what he does with Wufei. *coughforeshadowingcough* I am so evil sometimes. Is it really alarming that I can manipulate people's sympathies? *blink blink* I never thought I could do that. I just wrote what I felt, but I guess that's what does the trick, ne? ^^;;;; *MEEP* NO BARNEY! I can't -stand- the Purple Thing, he's almost worse than Relena! (Note the 'almost') He gives me nightmares...*twitch* But yes, anywho...Don't worry, I'm sure I can squeeze in some more Noin action for my Shella- chan. ^_^ Maybe even some fun with Une. I dunno, just maybe though. *evil grin* (I am such a hentai) Man, I can't go a chapter without fulfilling my -own- fanservice needs, and I consider myself a -very- demanding person, so I'm sure that you will always be well satisfied with the fanservice I provide. ^_____^ And there will be plenty more cute nicknames for Duo to create before the end of this story! And that doesn't even count all the nicknames he has for Wufei!  
  
^________________^  
  
*ahem* Now that I have the reviews out of the way...I'm sure you guys wanna read the new chapter, ne? Well go! Be free! Read! And do be sure to visit the little place called 'Review' and feed this poor-excuse of-an-author's ego! She just might get the next chapter out faster!  
  
Wufei: *sniff* That's blackmail.  
  
And?  
  
Wufei: *sweatdrop* You have no morals, onna...  
  
***  
  
Quatre and Trowa found themselves having to practically leap down the stairway in order to keep up with the black blur speeding along ahead of them. The second that 'We can't find Duo' left Trowa's mouth, Wufei had taken off like a rocket out the front door, leaving no room for any sort of tactical discussion before they could possibly come to a definite conclusion as they fought to catch up.  
  
Out on the sidewalk, Wufei suddenly halted dead in his tracks, making the couple hit their emergency brakes and skid to a stop to keep from crashing into him.  
  
"What's wrong?" Quatre asked, gasping slightly. The deep wave of fear radiating from the Asian had turned to wary misgiving. Then he felt it- there were two vampires heading right towards them, not trying to shield themselves at all.  
  
Were they doing it on purpose?  
  
The three stood still for a tense moment as they approached. The two women appeared almost normal to a passerby's sight, strolling nonchalantly down the sidewalk arm-in-arm and talking casually, though the slayers and the fellow vampire knew differently.  
  
As if in response to their suspicions, the one nearest to them, a woman with light brown hair, turned her gaze from her companion and stared straight into Wufei's eyes, motioning for him to follow with a small jerk of her head.  
  
"Where is Heero?" Wufei said abruptly, falling into stride beside the women.  
  
"There's a party going on right now...I believe you know where. He's waiting for you there and has a friend of yours with him," she answered obscurely.  
  
He growled various colorful words. "Heero better not do anything, or I swear I'll-"  
  
"He won't. He only wants you," the purple haired companion interrupted assuredly, concern in her expression. "And be careful...Trust me on that."  
  
Confused, Wufei stopped. First veiled threats, then a worried 'Be careful'.  
  
What the hell was going on?  
  
He pushed his way back to where Quatre and Trowa were still standing, observing him questionably.  
  
"Do you remember where the party was last night?" he inquired, eerily calm.  
  
"Yes..." Trowa trailed off apprehensively.  
  
The blonde empath went ghastly white.  
  
"Good. Take us there so I can turn myself in and save Duo before it's too late."  
  
***  
  
If they thought Wufei had gone fast when leaving the apartment, that was nothing compared to the speed they were using now, moving through the crowds like lightning without being noticed. Soon the bustling metropolis melted away to quiet green lawns and large houses as the three neared their target. The familiar dark shadows of forest began creeping up behind the homes, giving off a sinister, confining pressure of tense anticipation that wrapped around them like a noose, tightening little by little as the willow trees came into view.  
  
Wufei froze mid-stride again without warning, making Quatre and Trowa pause and look back impatiently to see why his footsteps had ceased. He couldn't bring himself to speak, but there was something waiting beyond the seemingly innocent sweeping branches that made him feel a fear he hadn't experienced since...since he was turned.  
  
Misinterpreting the fear he sensed, Quatre put a reassuring hand on the Asian's shoulder. "Once we go in there, you can't go back. You'll be stuck with us," he added in a halfhearted attempt at a jest.  
  
"It's not that!" Wufei spoke up hastily, not wishing to offend him. "I- It's just..."  
  
He did not get a chance to finish as two men walked out with elegant grace, far too perfect to be human. The fear grew as they approached and, with shame, he had the strong urge to run back the way he had came. Why was he behaving so irrationally?  
  
"It's been a while Wufei..."  
  
His blood ran cold. "Who the hell are you?"  
  
"There's no need to be crass. It doesn't suit your handsome features."  
  
"Treize, now isn't the time to be flirting." Treize's partner interrupted with jealousy tingeing his silky drawl.  
  
"Oh, lighten up Zechs," he dismissed airily.  
  
Butterflies fluttered uneasily in Wufei's chest. The sound of their voices prodded at things that lay dormant, stirring up vague images of a long surpressed misfortune.  
  
Quatre's piercing aquamarine stare shot back and forth between the vampires as realization dawned upon him, the untold story unfolding itself in his discerning mind. "Where has Heero taken Duo?" he asked firmly, his expression not betraying any of the revelations that had presented themselves to him.  
  
The silver haired beau waved his hand lazily in the general direction of the house. "They're somewhere in the party," he answered casually.  
  
Trowa's emerald eyes narrowed in displeasure and he shoved past the two with a ready grip on his gun, as if daring them to try to do anything with the consequence of death. "Quatre, Wufei, let's go. Now."  
  
Wufei pulled himself out of his distracted thoughts, a confused light in his uncertain gaze as he followed the blonde Arabian under the trees; he could feel Treize and Zechs watching intently from behind.  
  
"Here's your last chance to back out," Quatre offered as Trowa went into the music-throbbing house ahead of them.  
  
"No, I won't," Wufei refused doggedly, forcing all his perplexities out of his head, and with that, entered the party.  
  
***  
  
For one of the extremely rare times in his whole entire life, Duo Maxwell was struck utterly speechless.  
  
There was no quick or witty remark instantly forming on the tip of his tongue to spring out heedlessly in an answer, no fast movement to dance his way around something he didn't want to confront. He just stood there, still as stone in recovering shock, the dim notion that he must appear really stupid gawking like an idiot barely registering.  
  
This was a trick...only another trick to lure him into being put under the vampire's spell...  
  
So why wasn't he breaking away?  
  
Duo found himself seriously considering the hurt on Heero's face was truly genuine. Could he really be upset over the fact that a -slayer-, of all people, thought he was the most horrible person in the world, yet was able to show compassion for a victim of unwelcome assault? Because that -was- what Duo thought of Wufei, he had been one more innocent used by the sick, twisted vampires for their own demented pleasure, Heero being one of them.  
  
But did he truly believe his opinion of Heero?  
  
'He's a cold-hearted murderer,' he reminded himself mentally. Yes, he had been the one who had tried to kill him, or have him killed. Several times in fact! He had tried to sink his own fangs into his throat just the night before! There can be no redemption for the things he had done!  
  
This was merely an act, Duo decided finally, ending his unheard argument.  
  
Though even as he came to his conclusion, he couldn't pull back as Heero leaned forward further without any warning and kissed him.  
  
Kissed him.  
  
-Kissed-.  
  
The door beside them was thrust open with a wood-splintering slam and, as suddenly as it had happened, Heero was ripped away as Wufei took him up by a fistful of leather jacket. Duo teetered on the verge of falling from the unexpected gravity imbalance; his flailing arms hooked by Trowa's, who eased him down onto the couch.  
  
To anyone else, this scene might have seemed comical, but in their positions, it was quite serious. 'What would have transpired if we had been too late...' Quatre wondered, troubled by the reactions his empathy was receiving. Duo looked like he was about to faint, Wufei's anger had exploded to new heights, and Heero...He didn't want to admit it, but there was -something- underneath the emotionless façade he was staring at the Chinese boy with that he was concealing. He had let his barriers down just as the three had so loudly barged into the room, and whatever he had been attempting to convey to the braided slayer had shaken both of them. However the barriers had shot back into place as soon as Wufei got hold of him, and Quatre didn't get a chance to figure out exactly what he was covering up.  
  
"Don't you EVER touch him like that!!" Wufei growled threateningly, practically hurling Heero over a nearby armchair and into the wall with a painful thud. "It's -me- you want, so leave him out of this!"  
  
Heero was silent, surveying him coolly and not replying. There was a new warmth radiating from the 'traitor', a soothing aura had enveloped itself protectively around the Asian like a gentle embrace that certainly had not been there when they had last clashed. Maybe it was the black clothes borrowed from Duo that he wore, how the slayer's subtle scent seemed to emit from him like the similar aura, or the raw intensity that burned so brightly in his ebony depths like wild fire.  
  
For a brief second, Heero's sureness in his victory wavered. He would not allow defeat, but fleetingly, the fiery person clutching the front of his jacket was a person to be feared.  
  
And revered.  
  
It was just fleeting though.  
  
The familiar, barely perceptible smirk fixed itself confidently on his lips, the only sign of a change of emotion.  
  
"Oh yes, I -want- you, Wufei," Heero provoked, amusement flickering in his stony Prussian gaze. "But you must admit, a third in the mix would be much more interesting."  
  
"You're disgusting," Wufei spat acidly, obviously not as amused as him. "And I don't want to hear your shit, it's not going to work this time."  
  
"Shit?" Heero paused. "Shit, eh? I don't know what you're talking about, I was being serious." The smirk widened.  
  
"It's hard to tell with you," he replied scathingly, ignoring the insinuation of the ending to their last argument over his sense of humor. "Now -I'M- serious. Leave them out of this, it's our problem and no one else deserves to be involved."  
  
"'Them', is it? What happened to 'him'? Clearly, if you had burst in at an earlier moment of our little confrontation, you would have heard the slayer over there-" Heero's eyes strayed over to the couch where Duo was and was met by Trowa's ice cold glare. "-putting up quite the passionate outburst about how I should leave YOU alone and am not decent enough to actually say something nice. Sounds like someone who wants to get involved, not be left out of the fun."  
  
Wufei's scowl deepened, the wild fire in his eyes flaring up dangerously as he lifted the Japanese vampire a few inches higher off the ground. He refused to let him get under his skin, the one thing he was attempting so hard to do, because if he did, it would only make the situation worse. He would much rather keep the casualties down to just himself and Heero before even a hair on any of the slayers' heads was injured. They had done more than enough for him already, to the point of stepping outside their lines of duty, and he didn't wish for it to go further.  
  
"I swear to any of the gods that will listen to me, if you so much as-"  
  
"As what?" Heero prodded with a touch of sarcasm, plainly the actuality that the raven-haired teen had the upper hand right then didn't bother him in the least, or if it did, he didn't reveal it. "And what would you do if I did?"  
  
"I'd make you regret it if you did." Wufei ground out through clenched teeth, his fist tightening its grip.  
  
"Oh really? Apparently, you're too -nice- to be bad like I am, despite the fact that you -stabbed- me in the arm."  
  
"I'm not proud of that," he replied quietly, though not loosening his hold in the slightest. "It was a moment of weakness and I'm ashamed of ever doing it."  
  
His response caught Heero off guard. The last time he had heard Wufei talk like that was the night he had pushed him over the edge in the alley outside 'Chasing the Dragon' and he had holed himself up in his room, forcing the inhuman urge to go away instead of sustaining the hunger.  
  
Once again, Heero couldn't get over the shrouded strength that reared its head up whenever it seemed as if Wufei was about to lose control or give up. Especially now. Nothing he had said or done since the three had barged into the room had seemed to effect the Asian like it usually would when they bickered. It was as if he was an entirely different person.  
  
"So you're saying...you wouldn't have stabbed me?"  
  
Wufei blinked at the sudden change in Heero's tone of voice. He sounded almost...insecure with himself.  
  
Quatre's empathy was having a heyday and he was definitely going to need a -lot- of painkillers for the migraine that was sure to follow.  
  
***  
  
Heero: *suspicious glare* Are you turning me into some horny lecher or something? First it's Duo, now there hints of me having feelings for Wufei. Will you make up your mind already?  
  
DVG: *smug smirk* Of course not. I will never be able to make up my mind. You three are just so perfect-  
  
Wufei: PLEASE don't finish that statement. *impending nosebleed*  
  
DVG: *pout* But- You three WOULD-  
  
(Heero, Wufei, and Duo all tackle her and clamp their hands over her mouth to shut her up) 


	21. Chapter 21

*bangs her head on the computer desk repeatedly* I swear, I'm going to go INSANE by the time I finish this story. I just can't make up my mind on ANYTHING. First I was gonna use Linkin Park's new song 'Breaking The Habit', then I changed my mind and decided to use Disturbed's 'Rise'; then I went from having a big blow-out to whatever this chapter turns out to be. I certainly don't have a clue. I must have some sadistic sappy-angsty-sugar- coated muse lurking around among my usual angst/humor muses bent on breaking my fragile sanity, because just about everything in this chapter was totally out of the blue.  
  
Duo: Which basically means -we're- not gonna be pleased with it, even if -she- is. *snort*  
  
Wufei: *reads ahead* What the hell? Onna! What is this? I refuse to allow this bishounen torture.  
  
It's too late, Fei-babe; this chapter's already been posted. ^_______^ There ain't nothin' you can do about it!  
  
Heero: Like hell we can't.  
  
Just be glad I didn't have Wufei shred you to pieces! *sticks tongue out* So NYAH!  
  
*ahem* Anyways...Like I was saying before I was so -rudely- interrupted...*glares at three particular grumbling G-boys* So today's chapter has Disturbed's 'Rise' as a sort of theme, if you have their new 'Believe' CD, I suggest even listening to it while you read. ^_____^ I've tweaked a little part of the lyrics though, but it's nothing noticeable. And it's a bit short. But don't worry, I will MORE than make up with it in the next chapter.  
  
Let's just say Sexy Zechsy and Odd Eyebrows get...bored and decide to join in on the 'fun'.  
  
*evil grin*  
  
Now for reviews!!  
  
Iruka-Yuywell: You like what I'm doing with Heero? Yaay! Well at least I'm not bastardizing him any more...(Heero: Speak for yourself. *glare*) Okay, so -yet-. But anywho, Wufei is gonna have a blast from the past next chapter, hence my obvious insinuation about Sexy Zechsy and Odd Eyebrows. And yes, Quatre knows. Of course he does. The empath knows all.  
  
IchigoPocky: Thankies! ^_^ Gomen about those evil plot twists! *sweatdrop* I just can't make up my mind, and plot twists are the result of my confused-ness. ^^;;;  
  
SanosukeLover- Milly Maxwell: I'm glad you think this story is getting better and better. ^_^  
  
Smiley-person: THREESOME THREESOME THREESOME! *happy dance* (Wufei gives her an evil look with loads of tissue stuffed up his nose) And no, Heero isn't still in the closet. I let him out on good behavior. But that may change...*glare*  
  
Lexington: Yaay! Another threesome person! *happy dance* Read on my happy reviewer!  
  
Mars: Yaay! Less battle scars! ^____^ Angsty cliffhanger, bishie kissing, and fighting...Oh boy does it get better...and you don't even -know- what's in store for next chapter! *evil cackle* Of course, none of that would top a naked bishie...except for TWO naked bishies...or THREE naked bishies...*hentai grin*  
  
Dark Ice: Cliffy, cliffy, cliffy...Yaay! Happy 16th to you too! ^_^ And as for the threesome...I have no clue. Even the pairings aren't for certain. Well, except for Quatre and Trowa, cause they're pretty solid. ^_^  
  
Scarlettrose: Yaay! Another 1x2x5 person!  
  
LadyRune: Heh...a horribly tangled love triangle...Fun. ^______^ Yeah, I know I coulda drawn out the kiss a bit, but it was all in the sake of suspenseful plot making! Besides, it's not like that was -Heero's- first kiss or anything, don't forget he planted a kiss on Wufei earlier in the story to make him 'shut up'. So in a way, Heero is the one getting all the action. First Wufei, then Duo. *nod nod* Though Wufei and Duo's relationship is being slowly, emotionally built up, and is not about just fulfilling lust. *another sagely nod* Goddess, this is gonna be complicated. *sigh*  
  
Ryoko-onee: *purr* Kinky-ness...*ahem* Anywho, as mentioned above in response to LadyRune, Heero -is- getting all the action! Wufei first, Duo second. Though of course, the Wufei- kiss was more about shock-worth and the Duo-kiss was...I'm not quite sure. But yesh, why not just tie 'em both down to a bed and let Heero loose on 'em! ^_^ That would solve a lot of problems!  
  
Avenged Suffering: ^_^ Thankies! And yes, I'm a huge 2x5/5x2 fan also, there's just something about 2x5 that just grabs at me better than any other pairings (though I know I'm partial to some 1x2 as well). I don't know how to describe it, but you know what I mean, right? *sweatdrop* Anyways, yes Treize is an ass, and no, Zechs did not turn Heero. Heero is a pureblood, meaning he was born a vampire, and in a morbid way (if you really think about it), it's even -worse- than what Wufei's going through. I can't say, cause it would give things away, so just read this chapter, and you'll know what I'm talking about.  
  
Yami Crystal: *snuggle* It's okay...o.O;;; Don't worry, I'll more than well make up for last chapter and this for their shortness, cause next chapter I'm throwing Treize and Zechs into the mix! *evil grin* Then things will get REALLY interesting! (Also throwing some more humor in before this gets too dark and sappy)  
  
Jalee: Thankies and thanks some more! ^______^ I'm glad one of my fave authors is enjoying my little story! (Duo: You're such a suck-up, DVG) Anywho, yeah, the pairings in this is kinda -screwy- to say the least, but I'll get everything straightened out eventually!! *sweatdrop* And you're gonna be feeling even more sorry for poor Hee-chan before I'm through with his poor, jealous self.  
  
Shella: *whistle* Damn, I think that has to be one of the -longest- reviews you've ever written! Anyways, yes blackmail and bribery go hand-in-hand when it comes to fun and getting what you want! ^___^ I would know! *ahem* But yes, there's gonna be more Noin and Une coming along here soon, I don't know about the next chapter, but maybe the one after that. Cause first I'm gonna bring in Zechs and Treize to throw into the mix and some exciting revelations. *evil grin* All I can say is poor, poor Wufei...*ahem* Speaking of him, yeah, I know a -lot- of author poke fun at him for his 'Injustice'-ness and misogyny that they portray in the series (I, too, am guilty of it), but I -try- to give his morals more depth, this story not the least in my attempts! And the Barney thing, yes I've heard that version...Have you heard the 'Joy To The World' version? *cackle* That's some funny stuff, and there's another 'I Love You' version too, I just can't remember it. I love you You love me Homosexuality- Er, that's -not- the right one...that's the lesbian song...*cough* Anywho, it's quite common for people to block out certain parts of their memory if it's traumatizing enough, so it's not too difficult to believe that, though he remembered the initial attack and being turned, he 'forgot' Treize and Zechs. But up on seeing them, even though not 'remembering' them, he felt the old fears resurfacing after being long suppressed. *nod nod* Trust me, it's possible. (Damn psychology class *grumble*) But don't worry, he won't be 'forgetting' for much longer! By the next chapter in fact! *evil grin* And as for the 1x2x5...We'll just see how things fall out. Right now, it's certainly on the right path to being a threesome, but you never know what might pop up out of the blue and...hinder things. Now I must go check out this 'Winning Duo' story...  
  
Solus Nox: We can share! ^_____^ I couldn't possibly keep the Gundam pilots all to my lonesome without -zillions- of rabid fangirls trying to tear me apart! O.O So I would be more than willing to share! And I -love- Mel and Christy's fics! Have you been to their website? It's awesome too! ^_^ Anywho, getting back on topic...Water poured on you? Heck, all -I- had to worry about was being jumped by my friends and getting tied down in bed- er- wait...*AHEM* Well, happy belated birthday!!! *snuggle* Other than the water-pouring, I hope you had as great a birthday as I had!! ^____________^  
  
w00t! I think that's allllll the reviews...So on with the story!!!  
  
***  
  
//Rise//  
  
//Throw away//  
  
//The charade of your life//  
  
//Let the flame of my heart//  
  
//Burn away//  
  
//Your complacence tonight//  
  
//I command you to rise//  
  
//Wash away//  
  
//The decay of your life//  
  
//Feel the light of my eyes//  
  
//Find the way//  
  
//Through the darkness tonight//  
  
//Fearing no one//  
  
This had to be another sick joke. He had to be trying to fuck with his mind, because this was certainly not the Heero Yuy he knew speaking to him in hesitance.  
  
Wufei's guard dropped a little. "What did you say?"  
  
"I asked if...you wouldn't have stabbed me," Heero repeated blankly, looking almost as taken aback as Wufei felt as he spoke, like he couldn't believe -himself-.  
  
There it was again, that damn uncertainty and self- consciousness.  
  
Now was -definitely- not the time to decide to do some soul searching.  
  
"I didn't stutter did I?" he replied savagely. "You know I would be ashamed even without me having to tell you! You've seen me at my worst! So don't act like you don't know!"  
  
"...I really don't."  
  
//Do I really covet like you think I do?// [1]  
  
"I really don't understand...you change so much with all these- these-" Heero paused with his brow furrowed, fumbling for the word as Wufei's iron grip weakened considerably in shock and he eased him down to the floor. "-these emotions. I don't know whether you are about to laugh or yell or..." he trailed off softly so only Wufei could hear. "...or cry."  
  
At remembering the eventful incident outside 'Chasing the Dragon', Heero's mind was filled solely with the sound of the crying he couldn't possibly believe he had caught through the bedroom door. The first thought he had had was how pathetic Wufei had been for going so low as to be reduced to tears, but that was before he realized that he had been in genuine pain while suppressing his hunger. Although he wept, it did nothing more than show the strength embedded within him.  
  
Not that Heero ever was going to admit all of that out loud of course.  
  
"What?" Wufei asked stupidly, utterly dumfounded.  
  
Having always ridiculed him with any chance he got about being 'too caring' or of having the 'mortal defect', why was he acting like he was -jealous-?  
  
The defensive walls shot back up and Heero quipped bitterly. "I didn't stutter did I?" He had let too much slip, first with Duo, and now the Chinese teen before him was beginning to worm his way past his protective barriers without him even being aware of it.  
  
//Come, take me away//  
  
//Remove the fear from my eyes//  
  
//Feel the flame of my heart//  
  
//Burning away//  
  
//All conversation tonight//  
  
//Hearing no one//  
  
//Am I precious to you now?//  
  
Wufei growled and rammed Heero up against the wall again hard. "Stop fucking around! I'm tired of all your sick mind games! What do -you- know about emotions anyways?! You've never experienced what it's like to be suddenly ripped away from the sunlight and thrown into a darkness where you're not accepted! You never have, and that's why you don't understand. You'll NEVER be human enough understand what that feels like!"  
  
//Am I precious to you now?//  
  
Why wasn't Heero getting angry and fighting back? He just hung from Wufei's grasp, not making any move in retaliation except for gazing into his blazing onyx eyes after his heated outburst with an unreadable expression.  
  
"You're right. I wouldn't." Heero replied finally, his conceding tone betraying everything his expression refused to show. "All I've ever lived in is this 'darkness', I've never seen daylight. I would never understand how you feel."  
  
"Why are you being so reasonable?" Wufei countered suspiciously, not breaking their deadlocked stares as he glowered darkly. "What are you playing at?"  
  
"I'm not playing at anything!" he answered, irritated. "Can't I be honest for once?!"  
  
"You? Honest? Hell would freeze over before -that- happens," Wufei snapped caustically.  
  
"...I am being honest."  
  
Hurt.  
  
Heero appeared sincerely hurt about the fact that nobody believed him.  
  
//Now rise//  
  
//Turn away//  
  
//From the shame of your life//  
  
//Feel the light from my eyes//  
  
//Offering//  
  
//Consolation tonight//  
  
//Fearing no one//  
  
//Do you really think I want it like you do?//  
  
Wufei's scornful visage didn't budge an inch, though his guard lowered a bit more.  
  
Could he actually be serious?  
  
Duo shrugged Trowa off and got up from the couch. "Stop this," he began quietly. "Stop this, it's getting us nowhere."  
  
His soft voice brought everyone roughly back to reality with a start. A bucket of freezing water poured over them while they slept couldn't have worked better.  
  
All attention was on the braided slayer as he bit his lip nervously and looked at Wufei and Heero imploringly. "Please."  
  
The frazzled emotions clashing wearily through the stifling air surged with renewed strength, causing Quatre's impending headache from circuit overload to throb worse, but he willed himself to ignore it. He couldn't just leave now because of a little headache, they had to stay and complete what they started. There was so much confusion submerging all other feelings that it was almost impossible to discern what the other feelings were; though the Arabian had a pretty clear idea about them in spite of it. Under the bewilderment in response to Duo's uncharacteristic plea for peace, seething anger was beginning to ebb away to mounting uncertainty, concealed respect mingled with sensuous desire and injured pride.  
  
//Come, take me away//  
  
//Remove the fear from my eyes//  
  
//Feel the flame of my heart//  
  
//Burning away//  
  
//All conversation tonight//  
  
//Hearing no one//  
  
//Am I precious to you now?//  
  
Wufei immediately unlatched his fist from the collar of Heero's leather jacket, taking an attentive step away from the Japanese vampire before turning around and going to Duo, his concern having more priority then a pointless grudge at the moment.  
  
Confusion was washed away with the warm overflow of the Asian's care instantly, easing the blonde empath's pounding head as they all watched Wufei gently touch Duo's pale face without thinking twice about what he was doing and asking if he was okay.  
  
//Now, I cannot stop this//  
  
//Pure emotion//  
  
//Falling from my eyes//  
  
//You are vindicating//  
  
//Liberating//  
  
//Savior of my soul//  
  
***  
  
[1] 'Do I really covet like you think I do?' was originally 'Do you really think I covet like you do?', that's the only change I made to the lyrics, everything else is perfectly in tact to the song. ^_^  
  
Trowa: Where was I? I was only mentioned ONCE in this whole damn chapter, and that was only because Duo -shrugged- me off. *glare*  
  
DVG: Eh he...Gomen ne! *sweatdrop* I'll compensate next chapter! I swear! ^^;;;  
  
Trowa: You better.  
  
DVG: Hey now, don't get too high and mighty mister, or I'll lock you up in Heero's evil closet. With Catherine. *glare*  
  
T: ///.O  
  
*evil cackle* 


	22. Chapter 22

I have just one thing to say before I launch into my usual insane authoress babble. While writing this chapter, I had to stop multiple times and re-read what I had written because it gave me the worst case of *shivers* the creeps. It's almost as bad as watching Mariemaia in Endless Waltz. So I just thought I would forewarn you guys. This chapter has some major shiver- worthy moments. Ooo...just thinking about it...*shiver*  
  
Duo: And you're gonna hate Heero again. *nod nod*  
  
SHUSH! *sits on Duo* Anyways, all seriousness aside...This chapter is INSANE! I don't think anyone is going to be expecting what's coming. It's gonna be a whammy. ^___^ I just love being an author sometimes. *evil cackle* I think this is the most intense, angsty chapter in the whole story. With the exception of the little NoinxUne moment right in the middle of the chapter that's there purely to cut off at a climatic moment after bringing in Treize and Zechs. Don't worry, the cliffhanger isn't -too- bad...  
  
Okay so it is bad. I just couldn't help myself. *evil grin* ^______________^  
  
But anywho, I wonder about my sanity. After re-reading this chapter...*shivers* I'm a twisted, morbid person with a sick sense of humor. Not just funny sick, but seriously, morbidly sick. But that's what you guys love about me, right? *sweatdrop* My morbid humor comes up with some interesting plot twists! I even made sure that this chapter was long. Normally, my chapters are about 4 pages in Microsoft Word, and this one is about 6, so there's two pages worth of extra chapter to read! There are so many different roads to take after this chapter, no one is gonna be able to guess what's in store next!! ^_^ So many opportunities, so little time...  
  
Anyways, enough of my babbling, on with the reviews!  
  
Smiley-person: *ahem* Well...er...Here's the next chapter! I got it out as soon as I could! And as for threesome lemony- goodness...err...Well, just read! ^^;;;;  
  
IchigoPocky: You've decided 2x5, eh? Heh. I don't know exactly where this is all leading to, but I THINK I'm nearing the end of this particular fic...So whichever pairings seem most predominate will more than likely be the final pairings. Poor DVG has so many other story ideas running wild in her head, if she doesn't finish this fic soon, her poor head is gonna burst. I'm not one to be writing multiple fics all at once either, I think it lessens the value of the stories if you're writing to much at once, so I'm hurrying along with Blood Lust so I can get rid of all these other ideas! And since I'm on Spring Break now, be ready to get flooded with chapters! ^_^  
  
Solain Rhyo: ^____^ Awwww, thankies! *snuggle* I'm glad someone thinks so highly of my stuff. It's only going to get better and better as I write too, so more fun for everyone! ^_^  
  
Lexington: Gomen ne! I've made up for it in this chapter I swear! This chapter is a lot longer than my usual chapters, and packed with WAY more action! ^_^ So, enjoy!  
  
Avenged Suffering: Yaay! You understand my babbling. That's a first. *blink blink* Anyways, yesh I've gone and complicated this whole thing with Wufei and Duo and Heero, haven't I? Well, before you start making up your mind on things, you -might- wanna read this chapter. *hint* And as for the lack of Treize...There is PLENTY reason to be worried! *coughforeshadowingcough* Along with Sexy Zechsy...*ahem* Anywho...Have fun reading! o.o;;  
  
LadyRune: *ahem* Well, all I have to say is- if you thought the last scene/chapter/thingy was the best so far...obviously you haven't read ahead into this chapter. Though Disturbed's 'Rise' -did- put a nice touch to the last one. That's why I love songfics, when used the right way, the song can either make or break the story. *nod nod* Whenever I use music, I make sure I can use every last element of it so it all fits. I'm very picky about my songfics/chapters. *nod nod again* Anywho...  
  
Iruka-Yuywell: Mmm...you never know -what- will happen in fics, now do you? ^_^  
  
Dark Ice: *sweatdrop* Eh he...Don't worry, I'm as confused as you are, and -I'm- the author! *pats head* Don't worry, it'll get better eventually.  
  
SanosukeLover-Milly Maxwell: Heh. Well, there isn't -much- of an Angsty Heero, but there is -some-, along with some Jealous As Hell Heero. *evil grin*  
  
Jalee: Yes you! ^___^ I luff your fics! Both Harry Potter and Gundam Wing alike. And yes, I had some Heero angst. There's gonna be a lot of where Heero's concerned in this chapter, along with -tons- of other stuff...there's just too much, if I say one thing, it'll give it all away! ^_^ And I do believe you got 'frazzled up' from my description of Quatre in the last chapter. I think it had something to do with his empathy circuit being frazzled or something...I dunno, I just know I used frazzle somewhere in the last chapter! ^^;;; I'm glad you're liking this so far!  
  
Shella: Great Goddess. Just when I think you've given me your longest review yet, you go and TOP it again!!!!! Not that that is a bad thing or anything, it's very good. It's a real ego booster. ^_^ And yes, Treize is ODD Eyebrows!!! DOROTHY has the EVIL Eyebrows!!! *shudder* Dorothy's eyebrows are like twenty times worse than Treize's!!!! *ahem* Anyways...yeah, I know my A/Ns are about as long as my chapters, but I feel the urge to write back to all the reviewers who were thoughtful enough to leave little comments about my story. ^__^ It's the reviewers that keep me writing sometimes when I get a block and wanna give up, so I make them feel special by giving them special attention in all my chapters by replying to their reviews! (Does that make any sense?) And yes! You -have- to hear Disturbed's 'Rise'!!! Disturbed is one of my all-time favorite rock bands ever! All of their music is intense. Anywho, yes, I try to give more to Heero than the 'Omae wo kuruso' side, just like I do with Wufei's 'Injustice'-stick-in-the-ass attitude they give him in the series. But I agree that the Japanese have a fetish for thin, anorexic characters. *nod nod* Their idea of the perfect person is tall, blonde hair, blue eyes, flawless skin, thin...Basically the American stereotypical model. They're American obsessed if you will. Back to the real review...I try my hardest to keep things subtle, I like leaving people guessing until the very last minute. ^___^ I didn't earn the title 'Evil Queen of Cliffhangers' for nothing ya know. *grin* Besides, I like fleshing out the characters, not just what they show in the series, or in Episode Zero (the info book that delves into the G- boys' pasts before being pilots), I like giving other possibilities to what the characters truly are inside. Wow, I sound like a psychologist. *sweatdrop* Anyways, I'm going to be adding a lot more POVs and character dimensions in this chapter, so prepare yourself my Shella-chan. ^_____^ Speaking of 1x5 and all that fun stuff...I began reading that 'Winning Duo' story, and I'm hooked. I love that fic! I went through half the chapters in like an hour. I have yet to finish it, with working on 'Blood Lust', but I plan on finishing it tomorrow while I take a break from writing. I don't know about that 'talent' thing now, I just write what I feel and let my mind take the story to where it wants the story to go. *shrug* In fact, I just kinda zone out while I'm writing, half the time I have to go back and re-read to see what exactly I wrote. ^^;;; Funny, ne? Anyways, have fun reading! I'm glad you've stuck through so far in this insane story of mine! ^___^  
  
SlytherinDreams: ^^;;; well, I'm glad you're loving this story so far. And you're welcome about the chapter 6 thing, it wasn't a problem at all. I know what it's like to have the website mess up on you (*growl*) so I was more than willing to comply to your request. ^_^ I hope you enjoy this chapter as well as the others!  
  
WuffieLuver: Ah, another speed reader in my midst, eh? I'm one too. ^_^ I learned how to speed read real quick, cause if you can't keep up in honors classes, then you're screwed. I've also done that with my typing; I can get almost 180+ words a minute if I put effort into it. ^_^ I'm even better than my computer teacher, and that's kinda funny. Anywho, so you think this little story is one of the best 2x5 fics? *blush* Thankies! ^__^ Well, here's the next chapter, so you don't have to wait any more!  
  
On with the story, ne?  
  
***  
  
Whatever Duo had been expecting, it definitely wasn't Wufei's warm hands tenderly caressing his face or the anxious tone he used as he asked if he was okay. He hadn't been expecting that the Chinese vampire would so quickly put an end to his fight with Heero at his call. Resistance yes, an unyielding refusal at least, but not him instantly dropping his resentment like it was nothing.  
  
Despite the fact though, Duo didn't show his surprise, he actually found it soothing and took his time in replying to delay the removal of the touch.  
  
"Don't worry about me...I'm fine, really."  
  
"Are you sure?" Wufei pressed worriedly.  
  
"Yeah- yes, I'm sure," he could feel the heat rising in his cheeks in embarrassment.  
  
"I don't mean to interrupt your little Hallmark moment or anything," Heero said abruptly. "But would someone mind telling me why the blonde slayer looks like he's about to faint?"  
  
Duo hastily pulled away from Wufei and turned to Quatre, who indeed appeared quite pale with an odd expression fixated on his delicate features. Trowa nimbly vaulted over the couch and went to his side to catch him, but the empath shook his head and pointed to the door.  
  
"Our 'friends' from outside...they're coming..." he whispered inaudibly. There was no more comforting warmth. An icy coldness had engulfed him while he had been unaware of its presence creeping up stealthily, the icy coldness of terror and death much worse than what he would normally perceive because he knew the story behind it.  
  
Quatre's clouded aquamarine gaze moved from the threshold to Wufei, who was involuntarily backing from everyone in the room, prepared to jump into the closest possible hiding place the second the door opened.  
  
The indescribable fear had returned, much to his alarm, ten times more horrible than earlier when they had first arrived to the party along with a new dreading sense of foreboding that weighed down heavily on him. He was afraid of this trapped feeling, like an animal in a cage; it was worse than spiraling out of control, -that- at least he knew the reasons for, but this fear...where was it coming from?  
  
Wufei was about to get all the answers he wanted, and a lot of answers he -didn't- want.  
  
Heero broke the ghastly silence with a barking laugh as the door opened and Zechs and Treize entered the room, his steely eyes also following the Asian's fidgeting movements. "What's the matter Wufei? You think you would treat your sires with a little bit more respect than attempting to run away them."  
  
He stopped dead. Everyone stood still, the sounds of the party throbbing from all around enclosing on them like a vise.  
  
"You're shitting us!" Duo burst out loudly.  
  
"I assure you, he's not," Treize replied, amusement written all over his melodious voice.  
  
"You have to be- Quatre- is he fucking with us? Or is this the truth?" he asked disbelievingly.  
  
The empath went red, flustered. "Well..."  
  
"Well?"  
  
Zechs raised an eyebrow at the obnoxious braided slayer. "It -is- the truth," he gave the Japanese vampire a reprimanding frown. "Heero, I thought you had already told him, no wonder he acted so strangely earlier."  
  
"You knew all along?" Wufei whispered harshly, though still in evident shock. The anger was slowly returning, replacing the doubt, but the fear was growing even bigger. If they had managed to overpower him before, what's stopping them from doing it again?  
  
Heero paused, glancing from Zechs and Treize patiently waiting for a reply to Duo in his incredulity and Wufei cornered in his fear and rage. He hadn't meant for that laugh and remark to slip out like it did, it was just...  
  
When he saw Wufei and Duo so close...  
  
But he didn't mean to hurt him-  
  
No he -did-.  
  
Did he?  
  
Why was he so confused over something like this?  
  
"Aa, I knew. I didn't tell you though."  
  
"For someone who's supposed to be a traitor, you're sure not treating him like it," Treize said coolly, moving so fast across the room that no one was able to react as he took Wufei's face in his hands with a smirk. "You can't go soft now Heero, it's too late for that. You've got to make sure they suffer before you kill them."  
  
His onyx eyes wide at the taunting stroke, he found he couldn't breathe as ice flooded through his body, freezing him from the inside out in his absolute panic. The forgetful wall had been broken by his taunting stroke; all the painful memories resurfacing and flashing in front of his wide eyes as Treize leaned in...it was happening again, just like it had two years ago...leaning in, about to sink his fangs into his throat to feed, to kill, not knowing his inexperience was going to end up turning the handsome Asian prey instead.  
  
But there was experience now. Oh yes, he knew every right place to touch, the right way to look, the right moves to get everything he wanted out of torturing his victims. He could make even the most obstinate crumble to their knees and beg for mercy.  
  
Treize traced his fingertips along his jawbone as softly as a feather, brushing down towards his exposed throat and the edge of the neckline of his black shirt, earning himself a strangled whimper. He came in even closer, his warm breath rustling the long strands of raven hair teasingly as he inhaled the sweet lavender vanilla scent surrounding Wufei like a cloak reeking of all that was the amethyst-eyed slayer with whom he was betraying his vampire kindred.  
  
"Prepare to die my precious Wufei...I brought into our realm darkness, and I can take you out of it just the same..." Treize purred huskily in his ear, the body beneath his grasp going stiff as stone.  
  
Wufei's heart stopped.  
  
Gunshots shattered through the oppressive air.  
  
***  
  
Une observed amusedly as Noin botched yet another drink as she tried to pour and look at the neon clock behind the counter at 'The Marquis' at the same time, sipping idly at her own self- mixed cocktail. "Lucrezia, give up. Get one of your lackeys to cover the bar and sit here with me. You need to relax."  
  
Noin sighed yieldingly. "All right..." She flagged down the nearest busboy and gave him instructions as she joined Une on the other side with another heavy sigh. "I don't understand why this is bugging me, but I keep wondering if we should have let ourselves get involved with this 'traitor' nonsense. I mean, the poor guy looked so distraught when we approached at the apartment complex...I kind of feel bad for practically leading him into a death trap."  
  
"There's nothing we can do now," Une replied smoothly, though put a reassuring arm around her nonetheless. "This is out of our hands Lucrezia, all we can do is sit here and wait to see if Milliardo and Treize return."  
  
"And if they -don't-?"  
  
"What do you mean by that?"  
  
"Well, there were three slayers...and with Wufei...you never know. They might be able to best them in a fight, especially if it's to the death. Slayers are stubborn like that," Noin said as smoothly as Une had beforehand.  
  
"Milliardo and Treize are two of the strongest in this city, and Yuy...he's even better. I think we have reason to believe they will return, despite that they're against three slayers and one of their own," she disagreed mildly.  
  
"Mhmm..." Noin pursued her lips thoughtfully, tilting her head over so that it laid on her shoulder in her one armed embrace. "I hope you're right. We lost Sally and the girls to only a single slayer, so it really makes you think..."  
  
"There is nothing we can do now," Une repeated, cutting her off and began running her free hand through Noin's short purple hair with a sympathetic smile. "C'mon, let's go do something to get our minds off this, even if it's wrong, or we'll never stop debating."  
  
"Fine, but I decide."  
  
Une smirked slightly. "Go right on ahead."  
  
"We've got a nice big Jacuzzi bathtub and champagne upstairs," she replied suggestively.  
  
"Jacuzzi and champagne, huh?"  
  
"You -were- the one that proposed we do something, even if it was wrong."  
  
"So you're just going to jump straight to the wrong something."  
  
"Are you complaining?" Noin asked impishly as Une looked down at her with an arched eyebrow.  
  
"Of course not, I think it's a brilliant idea."  
  
***  
  
Gunshots shatter through the oppressive air.  
  
Quatre had fainted into Trowa's arms, but not before Duo had seized the unibanged boy's gun from his holster and shot wildly at Treize's hunched form, praying to God that he didn't hit Wufei too in his haste.  
  
Treize shoved the Asian roughly to the carpet as a bullet pierced his side and he snarled dangerously, whirling around to apprehend the shooter, but Zechs got to Duo first. He snatched up his long braid and jerked him backwards, causing him to stumble into him as twisted his weapon arm behind and wretched the gun from his hand.  
  
"Motherfucker! Let go of my fucking arm!" Duo cursed fluently as he thrashed, only making it worse as Zechs grabbed his other arm and snapped it back along with the other, holding him tightly against his broad chest painfully. He reared his head up and smashed it hard into the silver-haired vampire's chin, "Goddamn it! I SAID LET ME FUCKING GO!"  
  
Heero stepped forward, his glare smoldering. "Milliardo," he growled. "Milliardo, I'll take care of him, you look after Treize-"  
  
"You stay the fuck away from me you bastard!" Duo spat irately, writhing fiercely to free himself from Zechs' iron grip while glowering furiously at Heero. Knives of pain were beginning to rip through his pinned arms and down his spine, the top of his head throbbing agonizingly from the blow, but he refused to show hurt to their satisfaction.  
  
Wufei struggled to his feet, shaking off the daze that didn't want to leave his reeling mind as the seriousness of the situation sank in. He hurtled past Treize, who had fallen to his knees, bleeding profusely through the clenched fingers grasping his injured side, and swung his fist back in preparation to connect it with the closest person's (Heero's) jaw as he closed in.  
  
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Zechs said calmly, not showing any sign of tiring from Duo's fighting, ceasing Wufei in mid-swing. "One wrong move, and your pretty little creature here meets his maker." He smiled slightly, his ivory fangs sliding down over his perfect ruby lips.  
  
"Don't you -dare- harm him! " Wufei exclaimed vehemently.  
  
Duo stopped moving, watching in awe. He was willingly defending him in front of three other bloodsuckers, not to mention the rest in the house if they ever got out of this room alive. He glanced over at Trowa, who had managed to pull Quatre to the farthest corner and set him down in an armchair, hovering over his blonde lover protectively. The empath was still out cold.  
  
"Let him go." Wufei bit out menacingly, his raging ebony gaze set straight in the silver-haired vampire's challengingly. There was no more fear, he was filled with a fury and determination he didn't realize he was capable of, all he knew was that he was ready to do whatever it took to be sure the braided slayer was released.  
  
Zechs chuckled depreciatively, the belittling laughter rolling out as flawlessly as everything else that was inhumanly perfect about him. "I'll tell you what. Because you're being so entertaining tonight, I think I'll make you a deal instead of killing you outright since I have more pressing affairs to take of." His icy sapphire stare flickered over to Treize.  
  
"What kind of deal?" Wufei asked suspiciously.  
  
"Quite the distrustful one, aren't you?" Zechs answered amusedly. "I'll let your precious slayer go...but -you- have to kill him. I'll give you this last chance at proving your loyalty, and if you go through with this, then maybe I won't consider eliminating you when you're through with this beautiful thing. I might even let the other slayers leave in one piece."  
  
Heero surveyed them interestedly after Zechs' startling bargain; Wufei was mouthing soundlessly, whether in complete wrath at the appalling suggestion or shock, he couldn't tell, but the more surprising was Duo's reaction. His face was set with a blank mask, not revealing anything at all about what he might have been thinking. There was no fear, no revulsion, no pain, no nothing.  
  
Though of course Zechs was all haughty amusement. He was getting enjoyment no matter what happened.  
  
He couldn't get a good view of the tall slayer and his beau, and Treize was so absorbed in keeping his blood in his body that he didn't seem to notice any of the events going on around him.  
  
Duo closed his eyes slowly, almost like he was tired, and relaxed under Zechs' grasp. "Just do it Wufei," he said quietly. "Do it so you can get out of here. Trowa and Quatre can go on with their duties without me."  
  
"Duo- I- I couldn't possibly-"  
  
"JUST DO IT!" He kept his eyes tightly shut as he shouted, afraid the stinging tears gathering behind his lashes would fall, his voice was already starting to break. "DON'T ARGUE WITH ME DAMN IT! JUST FUCKING DO IT!"  
  
"I..." Wufei looked from Duo to Zechs then back to Duo helplessly, swallowing hard. He couldn't possibly allow himself to hurt the beautiful amethyst-eyed slayer, let alone try to -kill- him. But...  
  
"Fine. If that's what you want."  
  
Zechs promptly released his arms and backed off, walking over to where Treize was and lifting his ginger-haired lover from the floor. Duo stepped up to the emotional Asian resolutely; opening his tear-glistening eyes and gazed into his with a soft smile as if saying it was going to be okay.  
  
Wufei gently brushed at his wispy chestnut bangs, taking in every inch of his glowing face before leaning in and tentatively kissing him. "I am so sorry..." He whispered breathlessly.  
  
Quatre suddenly bolted upright in the armchair, his expression one of utter horror.  
  
"DUO!!"  
  
***  
  
*cackle*  
  
Duo: Dude, I didn't realize I could say 'fuck' or 'fucking' so much in one chapter. *sweatdrop*  
  
Wufei: *big, huge, saucer eyes* Am I going to actually KILL Duo?!?! *whimper* Wait, did I just -whimper-?  
  
DVG: *pats* It's gonna be okay Wu-bear.  
  
Wufei: No it's not!!!! ONNA! Start writing the next chapter!!!! I NEED to see what's next!  
  
DVG: *sweatdrop* You sound as bad as I do when watching soap operas...  
  
Zechs: What about ME? When did -I- become such a bastard? You must like making us bastards or something...*grumble*  
  
DVG: *sigh* Can we discuss this later, Zechsy-baby? I've gotta write the next chapter before Wufei kills -me-...*scampers off hurriedly*  
  
Click! Review! Flame! Whichever suits... 


	23. Chapter 23

Hmm...curious, quite curious...I do believe one of my lovely reviewers hit the nail on its proverbial head in their review on what I -had- planned for Wufei...but obviously, and this -was- before I read the review, so don't think I changed this on purpose (you know who you are Shella), like I've said before, my morbid inspiration comes up with the strangest twists...So...read and be amazed. ^___^  
  
(Wufei is currently in shock so cannot attest the authoress' reply to his little outburst from the last chapter about him killing Duo)  
  
Duo: Can we give 'em a hint? Pleeeaaasee...*Chibi eyed Pout*  
  
Nope. *ahem* Anywho...I do believe Heero fans will be baffled and utterly overjoyed by this chapter. (See further author notes at the end of the chapter after reading, and you'll know what I'm blithering about! *evil grin*)  
  
Wouldn't divulge of course, so ending the shortest Author's Notes I've ever written for a chapter and leaving you all in tormenting suspense, I'll continue on with REVIEWS!  
  
*evil cackle*  
  
LadyRune: I told ya so. *winks* I don't think this chapter will be able to top the last, but yes Heero is a cocky bastard when he wants to be and Zechs and Treize are brilliant antagonists! *evil grin* With my help of course. ^_^  
  
Iruka-Yuywell: Heh. Well here's the next chapter, and as for Duo having a plan...*ahem* Just read on...  
  
Ravenquills: Don't worry, I wouldn't leave you waiting there for eternity for my next chapter (or would I?)! ^_^ So here it is!  
  
SanosukeLover-Milly Maxwell: *evil grin* Surely you must know by now of my official title. 'The Evil Queen Of Cliffhangers'. *sagely nod* That's how I can do it. *cackle* I am so shameless sometimes...  
  
IchigoPocky: *pouts* Wufei abuse! I refuse to allow Wufei abuse in reviews!! Before you go deciding to abuse poor, poor Wu-bear, read this chapter!! ^___^  
  
Marana Winter: Here ya go! Next chapter! ^____^  
  
Smiley-person: Vanpire? DMG? *sweatdrop* Well, DVG will answer Quatre's question. The answer has already been answered in the story. Being an empath makes him vulnerable to others' emotions, and if there are too many or if they're too powerful, then his empathy sorta does a circuit overload. Like when you open too many windows on the computer and it freezes up. He can't handle it because his empathy is so sensitive, so his 'freezing up' is losing consciousness. Does that answer your question?  
  
Dark Ice: ^____^ Glad you...er- enjoyed the last chapter. *sweatdrop* As for what happens, you must read on in this new chapter to find out! I wouldn't necessarily call the last chapter the best cliffhanger -ever-, maybe the best in this story, but not -ever-. I certainly know plenty of stories that are better, but that may just be my author-modesty talking. ^_^ (Duo: You? Modest? HA!)  
  
Jalee: *big grin* Well, well, well...you'll just need to read on for the answers to your opinion. ^_^  
  
Avenged Suffering: Dun worry about the language, I use worse in my stories, so why would it bother me? ^_^ And don't worry about losing yourself, lose yourself all you want to in a review, get it alllll out of your system. *nod nod* It makes you feel -tons- better! ^_^  
  
Yami Crystal: Heh, so many reviews beginning with 'AH!!!!' for chapter 22...though certainly that chapter didn't have the -cruelest- cliffhanger in the history of ff.net...^___^  
  
Jewels: Well here's the next chapter so you don't have to wonder about anything anymore! ^___^  
  
Kori: 1x2x5, eh? Hmm...we'll see what this chapter brings about...  
  
Shella: (I must say no sleep and way too much chocolate early in the morning made me laugh hysterically for like twenty minutes while reading your reviews) My favorite reviewer person just topped herself -again- in the sheer amount of review-ness!! Goddess help me! I don't think I'll be able to keep up if they get any longer!! ^_____^ But they certainly encourage me to write faster and get chapters out quicker, that's for sure. Heart attacks? I gave you heart attacks? Gomen nasai! ^^;;; I guess I got a bit carried away with the last chapter, ne? And the points system says: 16 points for Chapter 22! Unless I miscounted, which could be very well likely cause I suck at math. *sweatdrop* I always give stuff away in my author's notes, so any people who read them always get a clue of what may happen well before reading the actual chapter. ^^;; There isn't as much romance in this chapter as the last, but next chapter will more than make up for it. *hentai grin* Yaoi lemon goodness...I concede to your argument and agree that Treize is of the Evil Eyebrows, not of the Odd, though Dorothy's are much more evil-er then his. *nod nod* And as for Quatre, well him being an empath is a big impact to any situation with his abilities. Makes one feel very sorry for the poor guy for having to put up with all the stuff he has to go through. As for the suspense, I am goddess when it comes to suspense. I've fine-tuned the art of suspense to -almost- the point of perfection. ^___^ It takes many re-throughs and more re-writing, but in the end, I get my desired effects. And Noin and Une's little interlude was there not only as a break in the exhausting action, but also as a bit of a disarm-er too, after such fluff, who could possibly dare to try and damper it with more angsty intensity? Well, obviously, me. *snort* I'm beginning to believe I truly am evil. You're not the first who's wanted to belt Zechs, I wanted to too!, but with Duo's little situation with him...well yeah. And I've toned down the language now. ^^;;; I just thought it appropriate to let him be more foul-mouthed, given the fact that he was trapped in Zechs' grasp under the threat of death and furious. I know when I get pissed off, my mouth gets me into so much trouble, I am worse than the Osbournes sometimes. *sweatdrop* So I thought it would suit Duo, but I tried not to go overboard with it. And as for Zechs' deal and the ranting that followed, this is where I laughed the hardest in my no-sleep-sugar-overdosed hysterics and nearly peed my pants, well- you'll just have to read and find out. The beginning of the Author's Notes also points out a bit. ^_______^ *evil cackle*  
  
Mars: Bishies, bishies, bishies! *happy dance* So many types of bishies, so little time! And chapter space. *sweatdrop* *thwaps the Real Life Vortex with her big, long...baseball bat* Evil Real Life!!! Begone!!! Shoo! Evil!  
  
*ahem* Now for the story...  
  
***  
  
Quatre suddenly bolted upright in the armchair, his expression one of utter horror.  
  
"DUO!!" he screamed at the top of lungs, and for a very good reason.  
  
Heero had picked up the discarded gun from the floor, aiming it at the two oblivious people standing before him; his mind was set about what he had to do.  
  
At Quatre's terrified cry, both Wufei and Duo's heads snapped to attention in alarm at the disturbing sight of the Japanese vampire in front of them. Wufei enclosed his arms protectively around Duo, in spite of the fact that he knew he was a slayer and could more than well defend himself, but he couldn't stop the relief flowing through him. His end of the 'deal' was momentarily stalled, he didn't know if he could ever work up the courage to go through with such an act, though in the meantime, he didn't have to.  
  
"It seems he disagrees with your shot at a last chance, Milliardo." Treize chuckled faintly, grimacing slightly.  
  
Zechs looked disinterested. "Doesn't matter," he shrugged carelessly, starting to move towards the door, but Heero's arms whipped around and pointed the loaded weapon at them. His eyes narrowed. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Yuy?"  
  
"Eliminating traitors."  
  
He had made up his mind. Once he did, there was no turning back.  
  
Witnessing Duo so willingly give himself up for death, solely for Wufei and the other slayers' sakes, without any regret whatsoever, had thrown him off guard. How could someone act so selflessly? He was taking everything he had worked tirelessly to obtain and tossing it aside on the smallest chance that he would be able to save his partners, not caring if he died in the process. And to imagine that he had tried to harm the braided slayer for his own wishes...Heero thought about how he had touched him and the way he had been treating him and knew what it felt to be ashamed for the first time. He wasn't worthy of such a devoted person...But Wufei was.  
  
Wufei had managed to keep his pride, his morals, and his sincerity; despite of the hardships he had been through since Treize had turned him. Somehow, he had retained a little piece of humanity; being plagued by the human emotions as a result at all times, always guilt-ridden over what he did.  
  
Upon hearing the anguished 'I am so sorry...'; already thoroughly rattled, something inside Heero had broken. He did not think he would ever understand why he was doing what he was, but the pent up torment in Wufei's voice had just been too much to handle after everything that had transpired since their arrival at the party. No, since the night they had run into Duo outside the 'Oasis'.  
  
Wufei was correct in his presumptions.  
  
Heero had never been human; he had never experienced powerful emotions beyond his coldness and anger, so he would never begin to understand any of this. He only knew that he was doing the right thing. It went against every protocol he had been taught, but it had to be done. It was the only thing he could come up with that could even begin to clear the guilt he felt. Wufei didn't deserve the pain he had been put through the past two years; he was only sorry it had taken this long for him to figure it out.  
  
With that thought, Heero pulled the trigger before he could change his mind.  
  
***  
  
As Wufei's arms wrapped around him, the enormous knot of nervousness melted from the pit of Duo's stomach instantly. He may have appeared collected and resolute on the outside, but quite frankly, he was glad the Asian wasn't going through with the deal. Of course, now he knew he was going to have to put up with Quatre and Trowa strangling him later for making such a suicidal risk for their freedom.  
  
Though for the moment, his apprehensive gaze was on the Japanese vampire pointing a LOADED gun at him and Wufei. -That- certainly was not a good thing. Dying for an honorable cause was one matter, but being killed with your own weapon by your worst enemy was the really sucky way to end your life.  
  
Then again, when the aforementioned loaded gun is turned away from yourself and aimed at your other deadly enemies, it makes a person wonder about their sanity. Which was exactly what Duo was doing as he bewilderedly watched the scene unfold in -very- slow motion as Heero pointed the gun at Zechs and Treize.  
  
He has -so- gone insane.  
  
Okay, scratch that, he's BEEN insane. He's just now openly showing it.  
  
Heero seemed to come to some sort of mental conclusion to his silent argument, nodding slightly to himself.  
  
Two new gunshots resounded through the room and right before everyone's eyes, Zechs and Treize disintegrated. Around them, the party merely continued on about its business, the music not faltering, no one banging on the door to see what all the noise is about. Not as if two vampires had been slain by one of their own, with a slayer's weapon.  
  
Duo had the nauseating suspicion that everyone else in the house, if they considered the turbulence at all, thought that it was only them getting down and dirty in the bedroom and had gotten a little over enthusiastic.  
  
Wufei suddenly jerked away from Duo with a wheezing gasp, his hands clasped so tight over his heart that his knuckles were starch white as he sank to the carpet, all strength from his legs having left. Excruciating pain exploded in his chest, shredding its way through all his limbs in wrenching spurts as if they were attempting to tear him apart from the inside out.  
  
"WUFEI! Wufei- what's happening? What the hell is going on?" Duo demanded furiously, glaring at a shell-shocked Heero who was still staring vacantly at the spot where Zechs and Treize once were. He dropped down beside the Asian and cradled his rigid, shaking frame against him, anxiety replacing the rage as his gaze racked over him, searching for a cause for his violent reaction.  
  
It was unbearable; a choked scream bubbled up into Wufei's throat. It felt as if he was slowly being burned alive, bit by bit, the pain growing and growing like molten lava coursing through his veins...until there was nothing. As suddenly as it had started, it vanished. He was warm, but it wasn't the burning heat, it was the lazy warmth of waking up after a long night's sleep and wanting to lie there under the covers to bask forever.  
  
Duo nearly toppled over as all of Wufei's weight relaxed against him unexpectedly, his expression a mask of sheer confusion. "Wufei? Are you okay?" he asked cautiously, lightly combing his damp, inky black hair from his face when he didn't get an immediate reply.  
  
"...I'm fine now."  
  
He let out a relieved sigh. "Why'd you go and do that?" Duo looked up at Heero again, though this time in skepticism instead of fury.  
  
Heero blinked then focused on the braided slayer, the gun clattering from his limp grip. "I...I just did."  
  
"Why? What are you getting out of this?"  
  
"I don't want anything. I only did what I thought was right."  
  
Duo arched an eyebrow warily. "You -have- gone crazy. You realize you're gonna have the entire vampire underworld hunting you down now, right?"  
  
"Not if you four don't breathe a word of this outside this room," Heero countered evenly, regaining his stoic composure.  
  
"Eventually -somebody's- gonna notice they're missing," he pointed out. "And those two didn't look like anonymous fledglings either." Wufei shivered under his comforting embrace, he could feel Treize's cold fingers brushing down his throat like razor blades. That certainly had not been inexperience of an anonymous fledgling. Duo glanced at him in concern, pulling him closer if possible.  
  
"I'll manage." Heero answered curtly, stalking across the room and leaving, shutting the door loudly after him.  
  
Duo snorted derisively. "Fine, be like that then," he turned his narrowed eyes over to Quatre, who (other than looking ten times healthier) had gotten up from the armchair and had returned to his practically permanent place at Trowa's side, latched to his slender waist. "What are you smiling at, Q-ball? Don't tell me you've gone bonkers too-" He cut off at a sly smile from the blonde that would have made Alice in Wonderland's Cheshire Cat green with envy.  
  
"Should I be scared?" Wufei asked uneasily.  
  
"Oh yeah."  
  
"Good, because I most certainly am."  
  
"Duo..." Quatre inquired innocently, though the smile not diminishing. "What's different in here?"  
  
'-I- must be the one losing it...'  
  
"Er...there aren't any vampires-" Realization dawned on Duo, his narrowed eyes going wide. He momentarily stopped breathing before repeating firmly, "There aren't any vampires." He drew back from the Chinese teen in his arms, getting a puzzled frown in response. "Wu, no vampires."  
  
"What are you babbling about, I'm-" Wufei halted abruptly, his expression now mirroring the braided slayer's dazed one, though more dazed.  
  
Duo's words from the night before (could it have really only been the night before? It seemed like an eternity to them) ran through their heads clearly.  
  
'The first method is killing the sire...'  
  
"Wufei," Duo began seriously. "I think Heero just became God." [1]  
  
***  
  
Heero shoved his way through the house and onto the streets, not noticing where his feet led him because he was too embroiled in his thoughts. He could not shake the new sensation of disappointment from setting itself the aggravating task of prodding his wounded pride. Sure he had done what he thought was the right thing, defying all vampire code in the process, but he didn't anticipate receiving mistrust from those he was doing the 'right thing' for.  
  
'What were you expecting, Yuy? For them to jump around and throw a celebration in your honor for saving the day and releasing someone from their unjust torment?'  
  
Of course not.  
  
'Or at least a little bit of acceptance and friendliness?'  
  
Heero Yuy did not need that sort of nonsense, it was only for the weak. He was NOT weak, so he didn't need it. He refused to have part in any of it.  
  
'Then why are you disappointed?'  
  
Heero cursed silently, 'I am not disappointed.'  
  
'You keep telling yourself that.'  
  
He was starting to get pissed. He didn't like this new sensation, bothering his moody meditation like an annoying little kid would its older sibling. It reminded him of Relena's ceaseless pestering. Heero wished he hadn't left the gun back at the house, if he hadn't, he would be able to shoot himself right then. But he didn't have it, so he couldn't shoot himself.  
  
Coming out of the alleyway, neon blue light spilled across his path and he realized he was standing outside the 'Marquis'. Noin and Une. Heero had forgotten about the two women, they were the only others who knew of tonight's incident and were bound to ask questions when Zechs and Treize didn't return before dawn. He went inside the club and scanned the dimly lit, smoky bar for a sign of the purple-haired vampire and her partner, but they were nowhere in sight. The waiter tending to Noin's job behind the counter looked up at the Asian as he approached.  
  
"Where's Noin and Une?" Heero asked brusquely.  
  
"Upstairs."  
  
"Kisama..." He turned to leave, but the door opened and Une's voice sounded from behind the waiter.  
  
"Who is it Blake?"  
  
"Heero."  
  
The door shut quickly and Une quickly came out a minute later with a button-up shirt haphazardly thrown on over her rumpled skirt, running her hands back through her wet brown hair briskly. "What's the news?"  
  
Heero glared at the waiter pointedly and he went off to the other end of the counter to give them privacy. "No good."  
  
"'No good'? Do you mean-"  
  
"Hn. I'm taking over 'The Marquis' for Milliardo and Khushrenada."  
  
Une frowned deeply. "Lucrezia won't be happy with this. I just got done convincing her everything was going to fine, now you show up and make me a liar."  
  
"That's your own fault," he shrugged and added distastefully, "And you did more than convincing by the looks of it." Heero wasn't dignified with a reply as he took in her tousled appearance.  
  
"Is that all?" she finally responded, irritation seeping into her tone and expression.  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Thanks for the information," Une replied stiffly.  
  
"Will you close up? I need to get back to the apartment before it's too late," Heero pushed away from the counter and walked off without an affirmative answer, Une's glower boring into him as he left.  
  
The nagging disappointment returned in full gleeful force, along with a touch of guilt, to plague him.  
  
***  
  
Heero's not schizophrenic, I swear. He's just arguing with his newly found conscience. ^^;;;  
  
[1]'I think Heero just became God'- Look back a few chapters to when Duo and Wufei were sitting alone in the slayers' apartment living room. Wufei had commented that Duo was either very laid back, or extremely suicidal, and he replied with 'If I'm suicidal, then you're immoral', and Wufei said 'Then that makes Heero God.' A reference to their inside joke- Duo was suicidal in forcing Wufei to agree to kill him, Wufei broke his morals in agreeing to Zechs' deal, and Heero became God because of the 'right thing' he did. ^____^  
  
*ahem* So now...Should I go 2x5? Or shall I have Duo and Wufei seek out Heero and spark a little 1x2x5 lemon goodness? Either way, I think the next chapter will be the last, or at the most, second to last. This has been the longest, most intense fic I've ever written yet (which I am very proud of, let me tell you), though I cannot stop from being glad that this is nearly over with. *sigh* I have so many new fic ideas swirling in my poor, abused brain that I can't keep track of them. So when this is finished, FF.net is gonna be flooded with all the stories inspired while working on 'Blood Lust'.  
  
I'll give more details at the end of the next chapter. I have about four or five different ideas running rampant, so I'll let my wonderful-ness reviewers decide which one gets written first for sticking with me the entire time through this -very- long story. ^____^  
  
Click! Review! Flame! Whichever suits you... 


	24. Authors Notes

Hey all my lovely reviewers!!  
  
I just wanna apologize for the longer-than-usual delay in the next chapter. It's coming, don't you worry, but as it's the last chapter (*sniffle*), I'm working especially hard on it. ^_^ It's twice as long as the others and there's a particular scene I'm working on (*coughlemoncough*) that I'm trying to get -just right-. So it's taking longer to get out!  
  
But don't worry, I'll have it out within the next day or so!  
  
So, to keep you entertained, I'll show my other crazy fic ideas to think about while you wait. I have so many, it's driving me nuts! (Literally) I already have a new posted out called 'Imaginary', if any of you have read it yet, which will be my new project when I finish 'Blood Lust'. The second chapter for that is already in the works too! So within the next day or two, along with the last chapter to 'Blood Lust', the second chapter for 'Imaginary' will out too! Fun, eh?  
  
My first little insane musing is something that'll be full of humor. I've been doing so much angst, not to mention all the -extreme- angst coming up with 'Imaginary', that I need to do some humor to lighten my writing mood. It's gonna be called 'Sweet Revenge', and will be yaoi (2x5 with some mentions of 3x4 maybe). Master O decides to have fun with Wufei and sends him on a mission that'll force him into infiltrating an all-girls school (overly-done I know), and Duo follows to get blackmail. *evil grin* Who knew Wufei could look so good in a girl's uniform?  
  
The next couple of ideas are all angsty again. *sigh* I'm addicted to writing angst. There's a re-do of Endless Waltz I have nagging me to write, where instead of Trowa infiltrating Mariemaia's army and discovering Wufei, I have Duo do it and confront Wufei. Again 2x5. Then there's a 1x2 fic during which Duo and Heero are alone in the safehouse thinking about their feelings for each other, based on the songs 'Weight of the World' (Heero POV) and 'All Because of You' (Duo POV) by Saliva (awesome band), and is, go figure, a songfic, ending with 'Bring me to Life' by Evanescence for the both of them coming to terms about them. ^__^ And lastly, for the Gundam Wing fics anyways, is another songfic for 3x4, 'Somewhere I Belong' by Linkin Park, where Quatre helps Trowa after the wars. ^_^  
  
And those are just the Gundam Wing ideas. *sweatdrop* That doesn't include ideas I have for Harry Potter slash (I luff Harry/Draco), some Sailor Moon yuri, and X.  
  
Kamui and Fuma...*drool*  
  
For those who haven't seen or read X, you are -so- missing out. I'm helplessly addicted to X, it's become number 3 on my favorites list after Gundam Wing and Cowboy Bebop (1 and 2 respectively)! It even beat out InuYasha and Sailor Moon, which is saying something. *nod nod*  
  
So with those lovely ideas for you all to mull over, I'm off to finish writing the last chapter to 'Blood Lust'! 


	25. Chapter 24 The End

*gets teary-eyed* It's ooover...*lip quivers*  
  
Wufei: Onna, at least wait until the END of the chapter to get all sentimental.  
  
*sniffle* Fine.  
  
*ahem* Anywho, I sincerely apologize for the lateness in this chapter. The day after I posted the Author's Notes, I was unexpectedly slammed with a huge project for Spanish and was stuck spending my entire Friday, Saturday, and Sunday making a stupid piñata for Cinco de Mayo and planning a party for the class. *sigh* The evilness of my Spanish teacher, blame him! It's his fault! But like I said, this chapter, being the last, is literally twice as long and fun as any of the others! ^_^ And if it starts dragging towards the end...well, I just spent my weekend elbow-high in paper mache' and glue with less than a grand total of three hours of sleep over the course of four days, so you try writing ten pages after that.  
  
And my heart won out on the pairing. It's gonna be 2x5, but I'm leaving the end open for a chance at 1x2x5. (Especially if I'm feeling generous and decide to write a sequel after I rid myself of all the other fics spinning around in my poor, battered mind) Just think, I could have done blasphemy and tried to pair Heero with...  
  
Dorothy of the Eviler-than-Treize's Eyebrows. *shudder* Just the mere thought of it...x.x  
  
Evil ban on NC-17 keeps my lemon-ness within boundaries, but I tried. I don't think I'll be writing a full lemon, so if you want to insert one yourself where I leave off, then by all means amuse yourself. Just be sure to send me a copy. *winks*  
  
And as for the confusion over Heero and the club, the guy can't look suspicious can he? If he suddenly vanishes and Zechs and Treize's turned-to-dust, nonexistent whereabouts surface, Heero's ass would be in big trouble. I explain more in the chapter because Duo asks the same thing, so read on and have your questions satisfied. ^_^  
  
Anywho, some quick replies to reviews before I continue...  
  
IchigoPocky: *wipes tears from eyes* Oh Goddess I laughed so hard...'so many limbs to keep track of'!!! That was hilarious.  
  
Jalee: You would be surprised of the things Duo can think about during serious moments...*hentai grin* I think there's a few of those moments in here, so there'll be plenty of amusement. ^_^  
  
Shella: *nod nod* I know what ya mean. I've kept it 2x5, but left insinuations at possible 1x2x5, and I'm not gonna say much because it'll give it all away, but Wufei and Duo win over Heero and make everything all better. ^_^ For the moment anyway. And I try to not make one person dominate in lemon scenes, I try to keep it at an equal balance. Though I think I have Duo more...dominance over Wufei than vice versa. But for good reason. I think you'll enjoy it. ^_^ And as for the un-vampirism and such, what can you say? I'm a sucker for pain and angst. I don't think anyone would have expected it to be all warm and fuzzy, but I like making people squirm. *evil grin* Squirming is good. So you think I did a satisfactory job on the Heero un- bastardization thing? I was worried it was a bit rushed, but if everyone else is fine with it, then it's all good. And I make up for the distrust issue, honestly I couldn't live with the guilt I created when I wrote that scene, so I make it all better. ^_^ And believable. Hopefully it's believable anyways. *ahem* But yes, considering the last time Heero was told the person he was looking for was upstairs, it was Treize and Zechs, so he learned his lesson real quick about disturbing the love. ^_^ And I totally agree with you on that there isn't enough shoujo-ai around here. Or anywhere for that matter. With the exception of anything Sailor Moon, cause there's nothing to do -but- write yuri with the Senshi. *grin* Especially when it's Haruka and Michiru.  
  
Scarlettrose12: Awww, you really like my little story? Okay, so it's not quite -little-, but you know what I mean...Thankies! I'm glad you're enjoying this! ^_^  
  
Joon and Poe: And 2x5 it is! ^_^ And as much as I didn't want this over either...quite frankly, if I didn't end it, I would have driven myself even more crazy than I already am. *sweatdrop*  
  
Avenged Suffering: LOL! Well, I don't exactly establish 1x2x5, but I'm leaving it as an open possibility at the end. If I ever write a sequel to this, then I'll probably focus on their threesome. *nod nod* Maybe have Noin seek revenge or something and have Heero get sanctuary with Duo and the crew. ^_^ But it's only an 'if I write' thought.  
  
Dark Ice: If you were able to thoroughly enjoy the last chapter, then I've done my job. ^_^ I aim, mostly, to please to the readers, and if I do, then go me. *sweatdrop* But yes, this is ending up 2x5, but I don't leave Heero hanging. ^_^ I would never do that to my poor Hee-chan!  
  
Yami Suisho: Of course what you think matters! I'm always using my reviewers responses to beef up my stories and boost my big ego. ^_^ Hopefully you'll like this just as much as the rest of the story!!  
  
SanosukeLover-Milly Maxwell: It may be 2x5, but Hee-chan isn't going to be stuck alone! ^_^  
  
SlytherinDreams: Yesh, it's 2x5. And as I explained in my Author Notes and will explain more in this chapter, Heero took on Zechs and Treize's club so as not to look suspicious. If he suddenly disappeared or anything, Noin and Une would have thrown up red flags and he would be in -big- trouble. But yeah...And as for the reference...just pure humor. ^_^ Only Duo-channerz would think of something like that...  
  
Kinishi: You sat for FOUR straight hours reading my fic? O.O Wow. I do that all the time with good stories and get into so much trouble for staying online too long, but for someone to do that with -my- fic...I'm humbly honored. If you like the 2x5 pairing, I have another fic too that's 2x5, in fact, two others. The first story I ever posted here, 'Of Blood And Tears', is 2x5, and my new project 'Imaginary' is going to end up being 2x5 (Once I make Duo sane again that is.). But I know how you feel; you really don't see many 2x5 fics. *nod nod* And as for Heero...he's just PMSing, he'll get over it. ^___^ Wufei could have killed Treize himself, would have been more satisfactory, but just the sire dying, no matter who killed him, would un- vampire anyone he had turned. Now Duo's suicidal stunt...that's just Duo being Duo. Heh.  
  
Iruka Yuywell: Hope you enjoy this final chapter! ^_^  
  
Ravenquills: ^_^;;;; Well, I made you wait forever for this chapter, didn't I? *sweatdrop* Blame my Spanish teacher and his stupid piñatas. Though I got an A+ on my 'original' piñata, it meant a good four days' delay on this final chapter. *sigh* Honestly, if I hadn't been slammed with the project, I would have this out almost a week ago. But hopefully I made up for it with making the chapter twice as long and twice as fun. ^_^  
  
Smiley-person: *happy dance* Threesome threesome threesome! ^_^ *guilty grin* Unfortunately, I didn't end this as 1x2x5...but there's always next time.  
  
Lexington: OMG! My best friend talks like Gollum allllll the time!!! In fact, her nickname for me is her 'Preciousss'. We're always freaking people out when we get our little 'Preciousss' act started, cause she can sound -just- like Gollum. ^_^ Anywho. Back on topic...gomen ne, but there isn't 1x2x5. Insinuation of possible 1x2x5, but no 1x2x5.  
  
Tsunami-baka: Gomen nasai for taking so long! *bows profusely* Damn Spanish teachers...*grumbles darkly* If I write a sequel, there'll be 1x2x5, but for now, it's just gonna be 2x5. *sigh* But I'm glad you're enjoying this, I try my best. ^_^ I pulled out all the character and description plugs to make this last chapter the greatest! (Hopefully)  
  
Mars: ^___^ Intense, ne? That's nothing compared to what I'm going to be writing with 'Imaginary'. The intense-angstness in here will pale to the uberly intense-angstness of 'Imaginary'. And to think I was trying to get -away- from the angst. *sigh* Ah well, there's always the School Girl Wufei fic to write too. *hentai grin* I told ya I was gonna redeem Heero -somehow-, but I didn't exactly know -how- until I was inspired when writing the last chapter. ^_^ Helping un-vampire Wufei seemed like the perfect solution to his redemption. *nod nod*  
  
Solus Nox: Screw the white robes and halo, just let Heero go Eternal Sailor Moon-style and be entirely nude with angel wings sprouting from his back. ^_______^ And don't worry about the lame excuses, did you hear my 'Kill the Spanish teacher for making me delay this chapter with his stupid piñata project' reason? Well, it's not really an excuse, cause I seriously worked hard on it, but still, it kept me from getting on and posting the story. *sigh*  
  
Fallen: Ooo...I luff the name. 'Fallen' ish the name of Evanescence's new CD. *purr* I luff Evanescence...*ahem* Anywho. Yes, lots of fun stuff is gonna happen now that I've thrown in all those fun twists. ^_^ You just gotta read to find out!  
  
Blue Bunny: Gomen ne, but no threesome (for now). But only for this story...I might write a threesome next time. ^^;;; But hopefully you'll enjoy it either way!!  
  
Ryoko-onee: No, Heero is not, and can never be (unless there's some unknown cure for purebloods), human. Being a pureblood, Heero does not have a sire that turned him, he was born a vampire and thus has never been human. Hence, what he agreed with Wufei about when Wufei blew up at him about not understanding. But Heero shot -Wufei's- sire (Treize) and helped him regain humanity though. There isn't any major conflicts being made in this chapter, being the last chapter, but all the other conflicts will get their much-needed closure. ^_^  
  
*ahem* Now on with the end...*sniffle*  
  
***  
  
He didn't know how the empath did it, but the next thing Wufei -did- know was that he was being pulled along through the endless sea of bodies by Duo without any of the vampires sensing them, and in no time at all, they were outside. Cool air flowed over his flushed skin, the calm breeze toying with wisps of his hair like fingertips...then he realized someone actually -was- doing that and blinked his leaden eyes open owlishly. Duo had let go his hand and was tapping the tip of his nose with an apologetic, yet slightly amused, smile.  
  
"Relish the moment in a few blocks, Fei," he admonished in mockingly stern tone. "We gotta get out of range before Q-man's pseudo-bloodsucker cover tires out."  
  
"Oh right- sorry," Wufei stammered sheepishly, pink tingeing his cheeks. He hadn't considered how much the raging emotions from their encounter must have taxed the blonde Arabian, let alone how much he must be using now to keep them safe in spite of the mental and physical exhaustion he was surely suffering.  
  
Duo, who seemed to sense his discomfort at his unintentional disregard, only widened his smile consolingly before following with a teasing laugh at the Asian's blush. He grabbed his hands once more and dragged him along after Quatre and Trowa, who had already disappeared underneath the sweeping willow trees. Wufei was perfectly content with allowing the amethyst-eyed teen haul him down the sidewalk while he watched his long braid flicker back and forth like a pleased cat would its tail and listened to Duo as he chattered cheerfully about absolutely nothing in particular. He admired how he could so easily recover his usual never-ending buoyancy after a night such as the one they were having, it took a great deal of strength to be able to do that with such effortlessness, when he himself was still attempting to readjust his reeling senses. Another good reason to just let himself be led around, because otherwise, he would stop again and space out.  
  
"Do you guys think it's too late to pick up some food on the way home, 'cause I dunno about you, but I'm -starving-!" To emphasize his point, Duo's stomach decided to growl loudly.  
  
"What would be open at four in the morning?" Trowa asked mildly.  
  
"McDonald's!" he answered instantly.  
  
"Oh gross Duo, not fast food," Quatre grimaced. "I don't know how you can eat that stuff."  
  
"Well first you gotta take off the wrapper since I don't think paper is all too edible and-"  
  
"That's no amusing. Besides, we have enough at the apartment anyway."  
  
"But-" (Wufei did not have to see his face to know the impending pout was beginning to form.)  
  
"No Duo." Trowa interrupted evenly to end the discussion and indicating that further argument would not be tolerated.  
  
"Fine," Duo sighed melodramatically.  
  
Wufei snickered. "You act like such a little kid sometimes."  
  
"Well somebody's gotta make up for those two straitlaced lovebirds, don't they?" he snorted.  
  
"Why be childish when you're more than childish enough for all of us?" Quatre countered amusedly, his 'straitlaced' lover smirking in agreement.  
  
"I'm glad I'm so loved," he replied wryly.  
  
"For whatever it's worth, -I- care about you, so forget them and let's go run off together. We can live happily ever after." Wufei added in jest and Duo suddenly stopped mid-stride, turning to him with a very intent expression.  
  
"Do you really mean it, 'Fei?"  
  
"I- uh-" He could feel the heat returning to his face as his serious gaze bore into his embarrassed one. "-well of course I meant it."  
  
Duo's solemn visage split into a disturbingly evil grin and he threw himself ecstatically at Wufei before he could register what was happening, sending them both tumbling ungracefully to the ground in the process. "I -knew- you loved me, Wu-bear!"  
  
Trowa smiled slyly. "You heard him, little one. They're going to go off and elope; we're not needed here." Quatre laughed and they started walking away, leaving the Asian to fend for himself against the alluring advances of Shinigami.  
  
"NO! Wait! I was only kidding about the running away part!"  
  
"It's too late now, 'Fei..." Duo's grin widened as he straddled his hips and pinned his arms above his head, leaning in so close that their noses nearly touched. "You're allll mine."  
  
Wufei felt like his heart was about to burst from how fast it was racing in his chest and it wasn't about to slow down any time soon. "Can't the 'happily ever after' part wait until we get home at least?" He kissed him persuasively. "Please?"  
  
Duo groaned resignedly. "Damn the kiss- why do you have to be so good?"  
  
"Do I take that as a 'yes'?"  
  
He grumbled inaudibly and reluctantly got up, helping Wufei to his feet as they brushed off the grass and dirt from their clothes. Quatre and Trowa had not gone far and were patiently standing at the street corner when the two caught up with them, continuing on their way.  
  
"You better keep your word, Wu," Duo glared playfully.  
  
"Or what?" Wufei asked.  
  
"Er- haven't thought about it yet..." he bit his lip thoughtfully. "But it'll be hell when I come up with something."  
  
"Nothing you do can be worse than anything I haven't experienced before."  
  
"We'll see about that." Duo flashed another wicked grin as they came upon their apartment complex.  
  
Quatre and Trowa trailed behind as they watched Duo haul Wufei over to the staircase ahead of them and disappear while they waited for the elevator.  
  
"It's a good thing that our bedroom is at the other end of the hallway from his or we'll be up all day," Quatre commented wryly, getting onto the lift and snuggling closer to Trowa as the doors shut.  
  
***  
  
At the apartment, Wufei hesitated inside the doorway and surveyed the place he now called 'home'. His discarded blanket and pillow were still strewn on the couch across from the loveseat, and, as he followed Duo into the hall, his clothes were sitting on the sink in the bathroom, folded neatly. Little traces of him were scattered throughout the dwelling, and despite the fact that he only been there for a day and a night, he felt entirely at ease the second he entered.  
  
"Are you comfortable with this?" Duo inquired tentatively, noting his hesitance. "I mean, I know I can never get you back to your home by the bar, but..." He had not forgotten what they had said to each other at 'Chasing The Dragon'. He had lived up to every word about helping the Chinese teen get what he wanted, he had told him how to become human again and then some...  
  
But now that he had what he wanted, what happened? Sure they had been so close at the party and they had had that moment afterwards while joking about running away together...though he was beginning to doubt.  
  
"Even if I could go back there...I wouldn't," Wufei replied quietly. "Of course I would love to, but I've gone to Hell and back more times then I can count. I've changed so much since then; it wouldn't be home to me anymore. No...here, with you, is home to me now." He paused, embarrassed. "I asked a lot of you and you did more then what I asked, I don't know how I'll ever be able to express my gratitude-" Duo pressed a finger to his mouth.  
  
"Don't. You don't owe me anything, so don't even think about it," he removed his finger and kissed him. Just him saying home was here with him was all he needed; though he wasn't about to admit that out loud.  
  
But Wufei didn't need hear it, he already knew as he returned the kiss, deeper and all chastity was thrown out the window. Duo backed slowly further into the bedroom and guided him along, careful not to trip over any of the randomly thrown objects on floor and at the same time not wanting to break the embrace, Wufei moving along in fluid balance. His hands crept up his shirt as the Asian's feather light touch managed to remove the rubber band and release his plaited waves of silky chestnut hair before he even realized it. Duo bit his lip playfully as he drew away long enough to tug off Wufei's shirt and his own loose black tank top, reveling for a moment in the glow of soft caramel skin against his own as they kissed again.  
  
Wufei lowered Duo onto the bed with utmost tenderness, his secure grip sliding from around his slender waist to gently stroke down the nape of his neck to his chest, earning an ecstatic purr as he entwined a few satin strands of hair with his fingers. Duo's mouth began to wander down his chin to his throat; sending palpable shivers through Wufei as his tongue caught a particularly sensitive spot above the hollow. A mischievous gleam lit up in his amethyst eyes and he took advantage of his brief weakness, snaking his arms around his muscular torso to pull him near enough to pin him underneath, turning the tables.  
  
If Wufei had been shocked at the sudden change in positions, he didn't have a chance to show it before Duo pounced, intent on only one thing.  
  
Finding all of Wufei's weak spots and making good use of them.  
  
***  
  
They did not wake up until well after nightfall.  
  
Even then, it was -very- reluctantly.  
  
It took a second for Wufei's brain to register why he was engulfed in skin melting warmth and the overwhelmingly fragrant scent of lavender vanilla, pools of golden brown hair flowing over him and mingling with his own raven tendrils. Why there was a slightly smaller body curled up contently in his embrace, using his shoulder as a pillow with a pleased smile gracing his ethereal features as he slept. Then the previous evening's events and 'celebration' trickled back into his foggy mind.  
  
Wufei kissed Duo's forehead softly, letting himself dissolve in the relaxing heat once more, not wanting to get up and ruin the moment of heaven he was currently basking in. Someone had once told him that you had to suffer to get anything good out of life and he realized, after all the endless nights he had spent wondering what he had ever done to deserve the hell he had gone through, that all the torment from the past two years was meant for moments like these.  
  
The perfect moments of sheer bliss.  
  
"Ne, 'Fei, what are you thinking so hard about?..." Duo yawned sleepily, nuzzling further into his shoulder.  
  
"About how we have to get up eventually and how much I don't want to."  
  
"Then it's settled, close your eyes and we'll go back sleep until we can't sleep any longer," he murmured fuzzily, already drifting off again as he spoke.  
  
"As good as that sounds, you do realize it's almost midnight right now, don't you?" Wufei replied amusedly.  
  
"Mmmm- Ww- WHAT?? You're shitting me!"  
  
He chuckled as Duo's head shot up instantly, barely missing his chin as he glanced over to the neon clock on the computer desk by his bed. "I shit you not, and that mouth of yours is rather unflattering in the bedroom."  
  
"Didn't hear you complaining earlier, now did I?" he grinned shamelessly as Wufei went tomato red.  
  
"Well-" he cleared his throat roughly. "-that was different." The predatory glint sparked back to life in his gaze as Duo smirked at his flustered response, and it didn't help any. "Er- since we're up- and- uh, all- we might as well get some clothes on and-" The spiel was cut short with a tiny mewl of protest as he kissed him.  
  
"You're so adorable when you get all spun up and stammer like that," Duo cooed teasingly, pinching his flaming cheek. "I just couldn't resist."  
  
Wufei muttered something unintelligibly under his breath before lunging out in retaliation, tackling him over the edge of the bed and onto the carpet...  
  
"ITAI! I landed on your belt!"  
  
...in the nude. [1]  
  
Duo squirmed underneath him and the tangled blankets, dragging out the black pants he -had- been wearing and glaring at them. "Damn thing..."  
  
He couldn't help himself, despite the great lose of dignity in his...revealing position, Wufei snickered. "You're so adorable when you get pissed off," he mocked, patting the side of his face as he got up and pulled on some clothes while Duo struggled to free himself from the bed sheets and follow suit, braiding his hair as he went.  
  
"And you griped about -my- mouth! You're worse than Q-man, you know that? All sweet and innocent one minute, then suddenly- BAM! The Evil Side just springs up and bites you in the ass," he grumbled, gingerly rubbing where the belt had impacted on the small of his back. "Literally."  
  
"Like you're one to talk," Wufei snorted.  
  
Once properly dressed again, the two went out into the living room where a note in Quatre's flowing, elegant script sat on the coffee table in front of the loveseat.  
  
'Didn't want to disturb you, so we left already. If you get this before we return, go downtown and meet us at the 'Marquis' by three.  
  
-Quatre'  
  
"'Marquis'? What the hell is the 'Marquis'?" Duo asked, eyeing the note suspiciously as if it were some sort of practical joke. "Do you know what it is, Wu?"  
  
"I don't think I do..." Wufei's brow furrowed thoughtfully. "No- I remember Heero mentioning it once or twice, it's a club."  
  
"Ah, so I take it they found a new haunt, eh?"  
  
"I never got information about it, I just heard of it from him," he shrugged. "It was one of the places Relena used to tow him to, and I assumed it was a club."  
  
"Relena?" Duo raised an eyebrow. "That -thing- with the annoyingly high-pitched voice I got jumped by?"  
  
Wufei grimaced painfully, unconsciously rubbing his ears. "Yes."  
  
"Poor guy..." he shook his head sympathetically. "Well, we might as well go now, 'cause it might take us a while to find the place." He went over to the hall closet and rummaged around, searching for weapons. He had forgotten that he had lost his the night before, thus it took a bit longer to dig out the spares.  
  
It felt weird at first to Wufei when they walked so openly outside, being used to having to hide and sneak around in the shadows for so long. It was like the weight of all the passersby's stares were all on him; as if they knew what he had been and despised him for it.  
  
Okay, a little too melodramatic. Though no one was staring or despising him, it still felt awkward. But Duo was there beside him, and his anxiety must have been evident because he clasped his hand with a firm squeeze to reassure him that no one was about to jump out of the darkness to try to attack him for being a traitor. Sometimes Wufei wondered if he too had some type of empathy like the blonde Arabian, he just knew the right things to do at the right time to such a degree that it was as if he could read his mind.  
  
As they reached the downtown area, he got comfortable with his surroundings again, going as far as slipping an arm just above the gun holster (how odd did -that- sound?) around Duo's waist. He looked mildly surprised at first, having not been expecting an unabashed move so soon, but smiled slyly all the same.  
  
For them, the 'Marquis' was harder to find than they had thought it would be, the club was tucked away out of the mainstream, the kind of place that only regulars would go to. The blue neon light shone eerily on the pavement, blending just as ghostly with the black shadows around it, the door was open to the sidewalk as sensuous jazz rolled out from within on smoky wings.  
  
There was no sign of Quatre and Trowa, even though it was almost half past three.  
  
"Do you think they're inside?" Duo asked apprehensively, his guard up considerably. He could sense the vampires residing in the club, but there were only a few.  
  
"Let's go in and find out," Wufei shrugged. "If they're not, we'll go back out to the street. I don't like the feel of this place and don't want to stay for too long if I can help it."  
  
***  
  
Heero sat at the end of the bar counter, account books and timetables spread out before him as he skimmed through them halfheartedly. He hadn't been able to shake the guilt-tinged disappointment. To make things worse, Noin had -not- taken his news well when Une broke it to her and when Heero had returned that night to get the aforementioned account books and timetables to get familiar with Zechs' business style, she had laid it on him -hard-.  
  
And when he said hard it really meant bone-smashing, eardrum- splitting, breaking-everything-within-arms'-reach rage.  
  
First she started accusing him for when Sally, Hilde, and Relena had been killed while doing a 'favor' for him, which was true (yelling). He had been the one to have Relena coax the two into helping her attack Duo in the park. Before he could apologize, she railed on about how shitty he had been treating Wufei just because he sought refuge with slayers, which, again, was quite true (throwing shot glasses). Then she continued vehemently by (the shot glasses were replaced by full bottles) putting the blame on him for getting Zechs and Treize killed by manipulating them into agreeing with his 'stupid, pointless plan' against Wufei, which, yet again, was also true.  
  
By the time Noin had ranted her rage out, there were twenty shot glasses, fifteen liquor bottles, and a barstool that had knocked a table over strewn across the club floor around an unscathed Heero. Luckily they hadn't been open, so there had been time to clean up after her explosion, and he had readily given her the night off before Une could even suggest it.  
  
Needless to say, after that and the fact that he had been stuck alone in the confides of his maddeningly silent apartment all day unable to sleep, all he wanted to do was bang his head on the counter.  
  
Repeatedly.  
  
Until he was rendered unconscious.  
  
Heero's frustrated train of thought was interrupted as two people entered the club behind him, whispering to themselves.  
  
"I don't see Q-man or the Unibang anywhere, do you?"  
  
"No. Maybe he wrote down the wrong club name."  
  
He whirled around on the barstool and faced a very...interesting scene. Wufei and Duo were standing in the threshold, the braided slayer's arms hanging loosely from around the Asian's neck as he spoke quietly into his ear. Heero couldn't quite see what he was doing, but whatever Duo was, it had Wufei fighting fiercely at an impending blush. The blush was winning so far, judging by the state of redness blooming across his face.  
  
He wanted so badly to laugh at the comical expression, but instead he asked more rudely than intended, "What are you two doing here?" Yeah, Mister Polite; should have kept your big mouth shut.  
  
"Eh? -HEERO-?" Duo asked incredulously and staring at the Japanese vampire, not making a move to disentangle himself from Wufei. "Hell, what are -you- doin' here? Never took you for being a bar-type."  
  
"I own this place now," Heero scowled darkly. "With Zechs and Treize dead, someone has to do it."  
  
"You make it sound like we forced you to kill them because we -didn't-, that was allll your doing-"  
  
"Duo, please calm down," Wufei said gently, prying the irritated teen off of him before he got strangled in the deathlock that had been beginning to form. "We're -very- appreciative about what you did Heero, aren't we Duo?" He glanced pointedly at him and he nodded, although still annoyed.  
  
"Well don't let me ruin your celebration," Heero replied coolly, turning his back to them and pretending to be reading the accounts books again.  
  
Wufei looked slightly hurt at the cold tone in his voice. "I know we haven't exactly been the greatest...friends, but can't we start over? Just because a few things have changed doesn't mean I'm just going to up and forget everything from the past two years."  
  
"Oh yes, the vampire, the mortal, and the three slayers, I'm sure no one is going to notice."  
  
"What the hell is your problem?" Duo glowered, folding his arms across his chest. "The guy's trying to be nice even though you're being a complete bastard. You could at least show a little consideration."  
  
Heero let out a small, exasperated sigh. "Fine. I retract my last sarcastic remark, happy? But Wufei fully knows that a possible...association can never happen, no matter how much he lies to himself."  
  
"It's true," Wufei added quietly.  
  
"Rules, schmules- who gives a damn? Rules are made to be broken! Wufei broke them, and he's still alive."  
  
"Did last night mean anything to your thick head? I could have shot you both if I wanted to and then you -wouldn't- be alive right now," said Heero flatly.  
  
"You didn't though," Duo pointed out. "And if you had, then I'd be dead. Whatever. I may -look- stupid, but I know what did happen and could have happened, I'm just better at hiding the knowledge. If I die, then I die, if I don't, then great. I don't like brooding over the alternatives because that makes you get paranoid. So how about it, eh? We can -bend- the rules, I mean, they can't do shit if we just happen to show up in here purely by coincidence."  
  
Heero almost appeared surprised. He was being serious about trying to become friends, in spite of all the odds against them that could obstruct it.  
  
Misinterpreting the silence, Wufei hastily added, "Or not. We've caused enough trouble as it is; we don't need to instigate any more-"  
  
"Us? -Not- cause trouble? No way," Duo faked a horrified expression at the thought of being a perfect angel. "Impossible, especially when we're alone..."  
  
"Oh spare us from your melodramatics," he rolled his eyes. "You knew what I meant."  
  
"Come on, this is a bar, not your bedroom. We don't need to hear what goes on behind closed doors."  
  
Both Duo and Wufei looked at Heero in bafflement as he smirked, although barely. He glanced up at the neon clock and started to gather all the account books up, taking them behind the counter and upstairs to put away.  
  
"I want to get out of here before Une and Noin return," Heero answered to their questioning gazes, wincing slightly. "I don't need any more shot glasses or stools thrown at me."  
  
"Shot glasses and stools?" Wufei arched an eyebrow.  
  
"Hn."  
  
"I'll take that as a 'Don't Ask' kinda 'Hn'," Duo said dryly. "Is it because they didn't want you taking over the club? 'Cause if that's the case, then let them have it and you can 'disappear' for a while until things smooth over." They were out in the adjoining alleyway now, slipping unnoticed into the shadows as they talked.  
  
"If I do 'disappear', it would only make me more suspicious."  
  
"Didn't think about it that way..." he replied pensively, then shrugged. "You would know better then I would though, and it was just a suggestion."  
  
"They were close to Zechs and Treize, weren't they?" Wufei asked solemnly, his features dark. He had not considered the repercussions that killing the two vampires would create. Even though Heero had been the one who did it, had he known the consequences? Surely he had known the women were good friends with them or else he would not have asked them to have been the ones who confronted Quatre, Trowa, and himself at the apartment complex. Suddenly, his granted wish for humanity seemed very selfish.  
  
"Yes, but they'll get over it eventually," Heero shrugged as carelessly as the braided slayer had.  
  
"Ouch. Damn, that's a bit harsh isn't it?" Duo grimaced.  
  
"No. Life is full of disappointments, you learn to accept them and move on quick enough or immortality would be hell to endure."  
  
"I obviously wasn't able to do that, now was I?" remarked Wufei with a touch of morbid humor in his voice. "No wonder I was so damn miserable."  
  
"Aa, I didn't help any though."  
  
Duo stopped and stared at Heero like he had grown a second head. "Did you actually admit to doing something -wrong-?" They both glared at him and he threw up his hands in self-defense. "I was only kidding! Geez...Lighten up a little."  
  
"To think, I have to put up with this insanity for the rest of my life...Out of the pan and into the fire."  
  
"Hey!" Duo puffed up indignantly. "I resent that."  
  
Wufei smirked smugly. "Don't you mean 'resemble'? Who else is crazy enough to call himself 'Shinigami'?"  
  
They had reached the mainstream area once more and it was time to part ways. Duo hung back respectfully at the opening of the alley to give Wufei a private moment with Heero before they had to split.  
  
"I honestly meant it when I told you I appreciated what you did," Wufei said humbly.  
  
"I did my good deed for the eternity, so don't expect it to happen again any time soon," replied Heero stiffly, though he couldn't meet the Chinese teen's gaze.  
  
"Would you really not mind us just 'showing up' at the club?" he continued tentatively. "Because if it's going to be a problem we won't."  
  
He hesitated. If they were caught...  
  
"No, I wouldn't mind."  
  
With that, Heero stepped away and vanished into the crowd, but he couldn't hide the small smile before the two saw it.  
  
"How about we go find our scheming lovebirds and strangle them?" Duo asked in playful annoyance, slipping his arms around Wufei's waist as they started walking in the opposite direction.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"The evil blonde tricked us! You didn't realize it? He so totally set us up in meeting Heero!" he exclaimed. "Not that it's a bad thing though."  
  
They continued in easy silence and the darkness around them began to tint with gray as morning inconspicuously crept over the gloom. Soon they reached the apartment building and got onto the elevator.  
  
"We just missed our floor," Wufei said suddenly, breaking the calm.  
  
"I know."  
  
"Then where are we going?"  
  
"Somewhere," Duo answered cryptically. The lift stopped at the last floor and he pulled Wufei along to the narrow staircase across the vacant hallway that opened to the roof, the reddening light spilling over them as they emerged from the stairs. Wufei's hand instinctively shot up to cover his face before common sense made him drop it to his side again in evident self- consciousness.  
  
"I bet it's been a while since you've seen a sunrise, eh?"  
  
"Too long...but now there will be many more to follow, and I'll be sharing them with the person I love."  
  
He kissed Duo softly.  
  
"I love you too, 'Fei."  
  
_________________________________________________________________ ______________  
  
The End  
  
*sob* It's over!!!!! *snuggles computer screen* I can't believe it...I've been working on this story since December. Almost five months. That's the longest time I've ever spent on a story, which is obvious, seeing how this is the longest story I've ever written...almost half a year! Wow. *shock*  
  
And I think ending my fics in 'I love you's has become something of a signature trademark to me...the angst! The drama! ...the sappiness. Boy do I have the biggest soft spot for sap (but don't tell anyone that! *shifty eyes*)...  
  
Speaking of angst, I've once again started another angsty fic called 'Imaginary'. The first two chapters have already been posted and for those who have already read and reviewed to them are truly wonderful-ness. ^_______^  
  
And if I have a moment of non-angstiness before the end of 'Imaginary', then I'm gonna write the School Girl Wufei fic. *nod nod* He's screwed, whether it comes before or after 'Imaginary' is finished. I've already drawn pictures. *evil grin*  
  
[1] '...in the nude.' *guilty grin* I just couldn't help myself. Now that you've read this once, for fun, go read through the chapter again and add 'in the nude' to all the sexual innuendo. I did that and laughed so hard I busted my tailbone when I fell out of the chair. ^_^;;; One of my favorites was 'I want to get out of here before Noin and Une return...in the nude' and 'I don't see Q-man or the Unibang anywhere in the nude, do you?'  
  
(I'm amused -very- easily if you all haven't noticed by now)  
  
*ahem* Anywho! Click! Review! Flame! Whichever suits...then go check out my latest insane musing (no pun intended) 'Imaginary'!  
  
^_^;;; Onegai? 


	26. Review Replies

Hai! Well, this is a first for me...I normally don't create another chapter to put in replies to last chapter reviews, but this time, I'm making an exception! ^_____^ I got a bunch of great reviews and I think they deserve to get a response. *nod nod* The least I can do for my wonderful-ness reviewers, ne?  
  
SanosukeLover-Milly Maxwell: Well I'm glad you loved my little stories so much. ^^;;; And I am writing another 2x5 story, 'Imaginary', so you don't have to hope. ^_^  
  
IchigoPocky: Lol, yes, a lot of 'in the nude'. And as for Wufei's lovey-dovey-ness...well, I try to keep the G-boys in character as much as possible, I just fill in the lines a bit more and subtly add more dimensions to them over the course of the story so that they don't seem out of character, it seems like they develop. Or mature. Either way. ^_^;;; *ahem* Anywho, as for other stories, I assume you've already read my announcement for my already-posted new fic (which will end up being eventual 2x5). And I know there's going to be a one-shot along the way, I can't get School Girl Wufei out of my head. O.o;;;  
  
Avenged Suffering: ^_^;; Gomen ne, I had to finish it before I drove myself crazy. As much as I would have loved to continue 'Blood Lust', I just had too many story ideas jumbling up in my poor, abused brain and I'm not one to leave one story unfinished to start another. I have to finish my current project before I start another one unless the idea is bugging the hell out of me. ^_^ And of course I can picture them like that, what did you think I had to do to write it out? *hentai grin* I pictured it perfectly in my head and tried to write it into words. And it was -very- nice. *nod* I LOVE YOU TOO!!! ^___________^  
  
Joon and Poe: Thankies, thankies, and rest assured, those new projects will be coming along real soon. 'Imaginary' is actually difficult to write, but that's okay, I've needed a good challenge. ^^  
  
Lady Rune: Awww...well, I am greatly appreciative of all your lovely reviews and hopefully I'll get some more free time soon after -my- exams to get all my ideas written. So there'll be plenty of new stories for you to read!!! ^_^  
  
C-Chan2: Well I'm glad you enjoyed 'Blood Lust' and are currently enjoying my new project 'Imaginary'! ^_^ Many more to follow...and I'm -almost- through with the next chapter to 'Imaginary', so it won't be long of a wait.  
  
Ravenquills: Awww...*sniffle* I luff reviews like yours. And yes I know I had some killer cliffhangers, trust me, I have the death threats to prove it. *sweatdrop* I'm an odd one. But you have to be a bit out there to write stories like mine soooooo...*ahem*  
  
Kinishi: Lol, a lot of people loved that 'I shit you not' thing! ^_^ I must admit, it's one of my funnier moments. *nod nod* Er...well one of my funnier moment that is about as hentai-free as it gets anyways...And yes, there will be plenty more fics to take the place of 'Blood Lust' to check up on. ^_^  
  
Lexington: ^_^ Thankies!  
  
Iruka-Yuywell: Glad you liked it! ^_^ I like leaving my readers to wander off with their imaginations...I tend to do that a lot anyways, even when -not- writing. *sweatdrop* I just suffer from absentminded genius, that's what I keep telling myself...  
  
Yami: Glad you enjoyed it so much! And yes, this does seem like the sorta story to read just before Halloween, isn't it? All the fun vampire stuff. ^_^ And you're very welcome.  
  
Dark Ice: Yeah, I know, I was sad too when I typed 'The End'. *sniffle* Still can't believe it's over...*sigh*  
  
And last, but certainly not the least amongst my favorites...  
  
Shella: Now I would hardly agree on the final chapter being 'possibly perfect', because I'm surely not that good of a writer, though I do agree on my over-hentai-ness in the footnotes. *sweatdrop* I have no clue what the hell happened there. Going back and reading it for myself made me wonder about my sanity...*shakes head disbelievingly* So you want the School Girl Wufei fic to be 1x5, eh? Hmmm...well, it is true I haven't written one yet. And it would -definitely- be fun to write, if not very challenging. But challenging is good. I'll see what I can do for you, cause a 1x5 certainly has my interest piqued now. Now as for Duo's rubber-banded emotions and such, yes that would only be possible for Duo, cause he's Duo. He can get away with that sort of stuff if written properly. *nod nod* Little details mean everything in his kind of flexibility, like how Wufei admired the trait and noted little things about him, and Duo's hesitance in the apartment despite Wufei's certainty makes a point to balance it out, so he doesn't seem too incredibly buoyant. Their conversation about food is actually based on a conversation I had...*sweatdrop* Duo's crack about the wrapping paper not being all too edible was something my friend had said. And Wufei's little fairytale speech was supposed to be more sarcastic than it came out to be, but if it works, it works. *shrug* I'm glad you liked the 'newness' feel to the chapter, I was trying to grasp the sort of 'rebirth' Wufei experienced in being mortal again and how it affected him, how it looked in the brand new light. Kinda hard to do without going overboard, but I tried. Of course they're pervs! They're teenage guys! They're -supposed- to be like that...well mostly. I know -I'm- a pervert, there's no arguing against that. *grins* As for the random note, isn't that just trippy though? I love that feeling of being able to experience everything when you read and you can just feel the warm, smoky air from the club rolling over you and the jazz swirling around in your ears...*sigh* However, I don't believe Heero found Noin's anger particularly appealing. ^^;;; Especially since he was the receiver of that anger in the form of shot glasses and bar stools. Heh. I luff Une's personality split, you never know which one she's gonna use, Lady Une the pacifist, or Colonel Une the dominatrix. ^_^ And I think Heero was the character in 'Blood Lust' I had the most fun writing, with all his sides as he developed a conscience. I mean, no one can possibly go through an ordeal like his and come out untouched, not even the Perfect Soldier. Needless to say though, it was fun to write. Have I mentioned how much I love your little character summaries? The different names for each Heero dimension, 'Wufei-whose-ass-stick-has-been-removed', and 'Duo- the-surprisingly-intelligent-minx' had me snickering and getting weird looks from my mom. ^_^;;; But the thing that got me most...'STUFF YOU WOMAN, here's to me!' Ah the entertainment I get from your wonderful-ness reviews. *toasts* Of course I agree, now why wouldn't I? You're not my favorite reviewer for nothing, ya know. *snuggle* So here's to us and now I'm off to finish the fourth chapter of 'Imaginary'! 


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